Medicinerna som skördar liv

Sammanfattning: Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are a global threat that often doesn’t receive as much attention needed to rectify the problem. There have been many incidents and deaths caused by the effects of these dangerous medicines, especially in developing countries. Globalization processes have contributed to dark sides and global shadow networks such as the illegal trade of counterfeited pharmaceuticals. After the cold war the security agenda needed a reform because of the new types of threats that could not be resolved with traditional military measures. The case of Nigeria and the battle against counterfeit pharmaceuticals illustrates how the role of the state has changed in the last decades and it also instantiates the limits of the state in today’s global dynamics. I found that the shadow networks and especially the one of counterfeit medicines is a lot more complex than it seems, and that the role of the state is quite limited in the developing world. There are a lot of ethical dilemmas in poor countries as well as there is a strong connection to the new security theories and the underlying dichotomy of the rich and poor as well as sustainable development.