Transparency International, or TI, claimed that counterfeit drugs, particularly in developing countries, are responsible for the deaths of thousands of people each year and lead to the increased spread of drug-resistant diseases.
TI's "Global Corruption Report 2006," published today, claims millions of the world's poor were being "held hostage" by unethical providers.
The Berlin-based group, which also has offices in London, laid the blame firmly at the door of often "complex and opaque" health-care systems.
Among examples cited were doctors and other health-care workers, such as those in Bulgaria and other southeast European countries, accepting payments for treatment that should otherwise be free.
(AFP)