An international conference organized by the civil society on "public-private partnership” in the fight against commercial crimes and the movement of fake drugs in Africa will be held in Cotonou, Benin during the first week of March 2012, organizers said."This conference will be followed by an international caravan on the effects of selling fake drugs in Africa with a view of discouraging those who engage in this criminal business,” Victorin Yeime, the head of the organizing committee, said on Monday. He said the efficacy of drugs is rapidly diminished due to a combination of factors such as too much heat, humidity and the rays of the sun. "Even though the expiry date remains the same, the drugs lose their efficacy before the indicated date. They are transformed into a toxic substance for those who consume them,” he said.