The Ministry of Health, with support from the United States, yesterday launched a national public outreach campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of counterfeit and substandard drugs, which officials said posed a “serious threat” to public health.

The campaign features a poster with the slogan, “counterfeit medicine kills, while real medicine heals”, which will be displayed in pharmacies across the country.

The poster was the winning entry in a contest that drew more than 2,000 applications.

Speaking at the launch event, Chou Yin Sim, secretary of state at the Ministry of Health, praised the Kingdom’s progress in reducing the prevalence of such drugs – citing a current rate of less than one per cent –  but stressed that more work remains to be done.

The campaign is supported by a “modest amount” of funds from the US.