How ethics influence intentions to buy counterfeit drugs: perceptions of policymakers, community pharmacists and consumers in Sudan

Abstract

Objectives The ethical attitudes of consumers have been widely explored in the literature as a key factor influencing the purchase of counterfeit products. However, the manner in which consumers make decisions regarding the consumption of counterfeit drugs in developing countries remains unclear. This study aims to fill this literature gap by investigating the role of perceived unethical consumer behaviour in discouraging the purchase of counterfeit drugs in a developing country. Method This article reports on two studies conducted in two Sudanese states. The first study employed in‐depth qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of policymakers and community pharmacists. The second study employed a face‐to‐face structured interview survey methodology to collect data from 1003 patients and tested two hypotheses. The study used structural equation modelling with maximum likelihood estimation to test the hypotheses. Survey items were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS software version 5.0. Key findings The results revealed that counterfeit drug purchases are not influenced by consumers' awareness of the societal consequences of unethical buying behaviour (t = 0.575). The results also revealed that the decision to participate in this unethical buying behaviour is not perceived as socially stigmatised (β = −0.235, t = 5.477). Conclusion Contrary to the results of many previous studies, counterfeit drug purchases in Sudan are not significantly affected by consumer awareness of societal consequences and are not socially stigmatised. Although the purchase of counterfeit drugs poses ethical and safety implications, consumers in Sudan still view such purchase decisions as rational.

Public awareness, experiences and views about counterfeit medicines in Lebanon

“…Respondents’ answers were in agreement with other studies and reflected the negative experiences/views they had towards pharmacists who dealt with CFM. Doubting the credibility/professionalism of pharmacists in providing safe and effective medicines can damage the trust placed in pharmacists and pharmacy practice .…”

“…[27] The price of CFM for those with low socio-economic status could be an attractive alternative, especially when risks are not known and understood. [17,60] Respondents of this study were also less willing to buy CFM than CFP [19] and believed that CFP were inferior to the originals. Even though Q2 considered the quality and cost as a single factor for questions 16 and 21, respondents agreed that the originals were highly priced, and CFP were of better value.…”

“…The public were considered the main contributors to CFM in developing countries . The price of CFM for those with low socio‐economic status could be an attractive alternative, especially when risks are not known and understood …”

Intention to Purchase Counterfeit Luxury Products: A Comparative Study Between Pakistani and the UK Consumers

“…Relativists do not follow established norms and ethical values and their decisions are made dependent on the moral context of a particular situation (Forsyth, 1980 (Forsyth, 1980, Shang et al, 2008. Even so, the two dimensions are not mutually exclusive (Shang et al, 2008), idealist consumers may be less likely to accept a counterfeit purchase, whereas ethically relativist consumers may be more likely to justify their involvement with counterfeit products by envisioning the positive outcomes (Alfadl et al, 2014). Islamic scholars have discussed the moral and ethical values that should be considered in daily transactions (Ali, 2011).…”

Analyzing Consumer Behavior Toward Counterfeit Products: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Souiden (2018) demonstrates that ethics and attitudes all affect intention to purchase counterfeit products. Furthermore, Alfadl et al (2014) stated that consumer awareness of the social implications of unethical buying behavior does not affect counterfeit drug shopping in Sudan. The findings stated also, that the decision to be associated with this unethical purchasing activity is not socially stigmatized.…”