Tens of thousands dying from $30 billion fake drugs trade, WHO says

FILE PHOTO: Counterfeit drugs seized by the U.S. Customs & Border Protection are seen on display at the agency's offices at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York August 15, 2012. REUTERS/Keith Bedford

LONDON (Reuters) - One in 10 drugs sold in developing countries is fake or substandard, leading to tens of thousands of deaths, many of them of African children given ineffective treatments for pneumonia and malaria, health officials said on Tuesday.

In a major review of the problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that bogus drugs are a growing threat as increased pharmaceutical trade, including Internet sales, open the door to sometimes toxic products.