Washington, Jun 24 - Fake drugs manufactured to resemble dozens of well-known pharmaceutical brands are making their way across international borders and threatening lives, the World Customs Organization said Thursday.

"Countries across the globe, in particular those in Africa, suffer the scourge of being flooded with fake and sub-standard medicine," WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya told the group's 176 member countries.

Malaria tablets, heart treatment medication and H1N1 vaccines are among the drugs being sold in counterfeit form, making up 10 percent of worldwide pharmaceutical sales, according to former French President Jacques Chirac, who spoke to the organization.

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