Community Pharmacist’ attitudes towards counterfeit medicines in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Counterfeit medicines (CFMs) is a catastrophic public health issue that encompasses all therapeutic classes in Indonesia. It is a consensus that community pharmacists in many countries could contribute to preventing the distribution of CFMs. Information on community pharmacists’ attitudes regarding CFMs is lacking. This study explores the attitudes of community pharmacists in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, regards to CFMs. The specific aim was to identify the perceived reason, the method used to identify CFMs, and complemented with recommendations on what aspects are lacking today. A crosssectional study involving 350 community pharmacists in Yogyakarta province was conducted. A semistructured questionnaire assessed the components of their attitude toward CFMs. The Likert-scale statements were implemented to best describe pharmacists’ attitudes in responding to specific questions. Most community pharmacists perceived a business profit induced by exceeded market demand and a medicine shortage as significant reasons for CFMs in Indonesia. They are confident in identifying CFMs through the medicine’s appearance, packaging, and noticeable price difference. This study captures the need for enforcing regulators to take more responsibility for specific CFMs regulations and build a centralized system for reporting the potential cases of CFMs, allowing for continuous country CFMs surveillance. Community pharmacists could be a crucial supporting function in preventing CFMs from reaching patients. To enhance their role, a robust reporting system is urged to be adopted and socialized in a massive way.