Informal kiosk selling pharmaceutical products on a street in Thiès, Senegal. The informal sale of medicines on the streets of sub-Saharan Africa is a widespread phenomenon, fuelled by difficult access to pharmacies, poverty, the high cost of treatment in the official system and frequent shortages. This trade is mainly carried out in markets and by unlicensed street vendors, who are often seen as indispensable by local people who do not always have alternative means of obtaining medical care. Despite its illegality, it therefore enjoys a certain social legitimacy. However, this practice carries many risks: a large proportion of the medicines sold in this channel are counterfeit, poorly stored or ineffective, leading to serious health consequences such as treatment failure and antibiotic resistance.
Source: https://shs.cairn.info/revue-politique-africaine-2011-3-page-117?lang=fr
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