Challenges Associated with Addressing Counterfeit Medicines in Nigeria: An Exploration of Pharmacists’ Knowledge, Practices, and Perceptions

Abstract

Introduction Counterfeit medicines are substandard pharmaceutical products that are produced and sold with the intent to deceptively represent their authenticity, origin, or effectiveness. The risk of the existence of such products in healthcare provision remains a significant threat to public health. Pharmacists represent the most critical stakeholders in the supply, manufacture, purchase, and dispensing of pharmaceutical products, and as such can play critical roles in detecting and reducing the circulation of fake medicines. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of pharmacists in Nigeria in relation to counterfeit medicines as well as the challenges associated with preventing and mitigating this menace in the country. Methods A cross-sectional study was undertaken to administer questionnaires to pharmacists across various sectors of practice in Nigeria. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results A total of 390 valid responses were received. The respondents indicated that online drug commerce (72.68%), inadequate inspection (90.93%), inadequate legislation (88.83%), poor collaboration (89.94%), and poor cross-border enforcement (90.43%) were primary challenges to the mitigation of fake medicines circulation in the country. Whilst pharmacists were knowledgeable about counterfeit drugs, gaps were observed in their practices towards detection of these products, as about one-third (30.7%) of the sample indicated that their current knowledge and skills were inadequate to detect counterfeit medicines. Age, years of practice, and area of practice significantly influenced the abilities of the participants to detect counterfeit medicines. Conclusion Evidence from the study revealed that pharmacists had good knowledge of medicine counterfeiting in Nigeria. However, factors such as poor collaboration among regulatory agencies, inadequate inspection and legislation on the regulation of the pharmaceutical sector and online sales of medicines have contributed to the circulation of counterfeit medicines, and this has in turn affected healthcare services in the country.

Evaluating the Knowledge, Practice, and Regulatory Situation of Veterinary Experts Regarding Counterfeit Veterinary Medications in the Selected Districts of Central Gondar Zone, Ethiopia

“…20 Around 63.4% of the participants in the study consistently cross-checked the batch number of the medications they received with the one listed in the purchase invoice. This finding is in line with a previous study by Adigwe et al (2022), which found that approximately 92.4% of healthcare professionals also verified the batch number of the medications they received. 30 Nevertheless, the research carried out in Egypt revealed that the majority of participants (84.6%) did not consistently verify the batch number of the medications they received with the one mentioned in the purchase invoices.…”

“…This finding is in line with a previous study by Adigwe et al (2022), which found that approximately 92.4% of healthcare professionals also verified the batch number of the medications they received. 30 Nevertheless, the research carried out in Egypt revealed that the majority of participants (84.6%) did not consistently verify the batch number of the medications they received with the one mentioned in the purchase invoices. 21 The research also aims to evaluate the extent of veterinary professional practice in the study area concerning counterfeit veterinary medications.…”

Community Pharmacist’ attitudes towards counterfeit medicines in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

“…Indonesian pharmacists are aware of the importance of choosing a trusted wholesaler to purchase medicine stock. Meanwhile, there is a rising concern in Nigeria since the pharmacists claimed that they sourced their medicine personally from wholesalers, which can be at high risk for counterfeiting medicine [23,24].…”

Uncovering the Quality Deficiencies with Potentially Harmful Effects in Substandard and Falsified PDE-5 Inhibitors Seized by Belgian Controlling Agencies

“…Based on the scientific literature, one of the major health risks associated with the use of SF medicinal products is the fact that they might contain an improper amount of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) or the wrong ingredients [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]26]. A serious incident with counterfeit PDE-5 inhibitors occurred in Singapore in 2008, where 150 non-diabetic patients suffered from drug-induced hypoglycemia due to four brands of sexual-enhancement drugs that were contaminated with glyburide [13].…”

“…For several decades, the falsifications of blockbuster drugs have been encountered on a worldwide scale but with regional differences in the products targeted by criminals and criminal organizations. Examples of these are the high occurrence of lifesaving medicines like antibiotics and antimalarial products in African and Asian countries [1,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Meanwhile, in Western countries, although there is prevalence of substandard and falsified lifesaving medicines, they are encountered less frequently.…”