One in ten medicines worldwide could be fake or substandard—here's how to protect yourself

Anyone who has bought medicine online may have wondered whether what arrived in the mail was really what they had paid for.

They are not alone.

A recent global survey found that around 60% of people fear their medicines could be fake—and the unsettling truth is that they have good reason to.

About one in 10 medicines sold worldwide is thought to be either counterfeit or substandard. ...