Fighting fake medicines: First quality evaluation of cardiac drugs in Africa

Antignac, Marie; Diop, Bouya; Terline, Diane Macquart de; Bernard, Mélisande; Do, Bernard; Ikama, Stéphane Méo; N’Guetta, Roland; Balde, Dadhi M; Tchabi, Y.; Aly, A. Sidi; Toure, Ibrahim Ali; Zabsonre, Patrick; Damorou, Jean Marie; Takombe, Jean Laurent; Fernandez, Christine; Tafflet, Muriel; Empana, Jean Philippe; Plouin, Pierre François; Narayanan, Kumar; Marijon, Éloi; Jouven, Xavier

doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2017.04.099

Cited by 46 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Counterfeit medicines are widespread and varied, and encompass all types of therapeutic classes, ranging from life-saving to lifestyle products (6,7). Estimates indicate that up to 15% of drugs are counterfeit and, in parts of Africa and Asia, this figure exceeds 50% (5,8).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community pharmacists’ perceptions, awareness and practices regarding counterfeit medicines: a cross-sectional survey in Alexandria, Egypt

Bashir

Galal

Ramadan

et al. 2020

East Mediterr Health J

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Background: Counterfeit medicines are a threat to public health and the national economy in Egypt. The many community pharmacists in the country could help prevent counterfeit medicines reaching the patient. Information on community pharmacists' perceptions of counterfeit medicines is lacking. Aims: This study assessed the awareness, practices and perceptions of community pharmacists in Alexandria, Egypt with regard to counterfeit medicines. The aim was to identify gaps and inadequacies in pharmacy practice that might allow infiltration of counterfeit medicines in the legitimate medicine supply chain. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 175 community pharmacists in Alexandria in 2014-2015. A semi-structured interview questionnaire was used to assess their perceptions, awareness and practices. The chi-squared test was used to assess the relationships between selected pharmacists' characteristics and their awareness, purchasing practice and training related to counterfeit medicines. Results: Most pharmacists thought medicine counterfeiting was widespread in Egypt and that they could contribute to combatting the problem. However, most also lacked a clear perception of counterfeit medicines, an awareness of their danger to patients or the legislation to reduce them. Their procurement practices and detection of counterfeit medicines and handling of incidents of counterfeit medicines were inadequate. Pharmacists who thought counterfeit medicines were widespread or a health threat were significantly more likely to purchase 1 / 12 WHO EMRO | Community pharmacists' perceptions, awareness and practices regarding counterfeit medi medicines from certified sources (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Pharmacists should be developed as a frontline resource to combat counterfeit medicines. To enhance their role, the pharmacy curriculum needs to be updated and continuing professional development activities mandated.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community pharmacists’ perceptions, awareness and practices regarding counterfeit medicines: a cross-sectional survey in Alexandria, Egypt

Bashir

Galal

Ramadan

et al. 2020

East Mediterr Health J

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“…Rising concern about the consequences of poor quality medicines over the last decade has focused on anti-infectives 31. However, there is growing awareness of this issue for chronic non-communicable diseases, for example, a recent survey described that 16.3% of cardiovascular medicines sampled in ten sub-Saharan African countries were poor quality 32. These will have significant public health impact and if poor quality diabetes medical products are also prevalent they will have an additive global toll on health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of medical products for diabetes management: a systematic review

Saraswati¹,

Sichanh²,

Newton³

et al. 2019

BMJ Glob Health

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BackgroundThe global prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing alarmingly. However, the quality of vital medicines and medical products used to treat and monitor diabetes remains uncertain but of potential great public health significance. Here, we review the available evidence on the quality of antidiabetic medicines and supplies for self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) and discuss their potential impact for the patients and society.MethodsSearches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, Google and relevant websites in English and French. The Medicine Quality Assessment Reporting Guideline (MEDQUARG) was used to assess the quality of medicine quality surveys.Results52 publications on the quality of antidiabetic medicines, including 5 medicine quality prevalence surveys and 20 equivalence studies, were analysed. The prevalence surveys and equivalence studies included 674 samples of which 73 (10.8%) were of poor quality. The median (Q1–Q3) concordance with MEDQUARG items was 30.8% (19.2%–42.3%). No prevalence surveys on SMBG supplies’ quality were found, but 29 publications, including falsified products and incorrect results due to strip degradation or contamination, were identified.ConclusionThere is little accessible evidence on the quality of antidiabetic medicines and SMBG supplies. Surveys were poorly designed and reported, making data aggregation and interpretation problematic. Despite these caveats, these results suggest that there are important issues with the quality of medical products for diabetes that need focused monitoring. There is an urgent need to achieve consensus protocols for designing, conducting and reporting medical product quality surveys.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42016039841.

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“…Recent research evidence paints a bleak picture of global patient harm and economic damage: a systematic review and meta analysis 3 estimated that 12•4% of antibiotics and 19•1% of antimalarials in lowincome and middle income countries (LMICs) were substandard or falsified, with an estimated economic impact ranging from US$10 billion to $200 billion; in 2015 WHO found alarming failure rates (64%) for vital oxytocin injections; 4 a large epidemic of dystonic reactions occurred in central Africa due to mass substitution of diazepam tablets with haloperidol, probably inserted criminally; 5 recent data from Europe highlight key neglected issues with the quality of medical devices; 6 and the SEVEN study in subSaharan Africa found that 16•3% of 1530 randomly sampled cardiovas cular medi cations (anticoagulants, antihypertensives, and statins) failed Active PharmaceuticaI Ingredient content analysis. 7 In the face of mounting harm, regulatory bodies are alarmingly underequipped. WHO recently stated that "Fewer than 30% of the world's medicines regulatory authorities are considered to have the capacity to perform the functions required to ensure medicines, vaccines and other health products actually work and do not harm patients."…”

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confidence: 99%