Pharmaceutical manufacturers’ compliance with drug advertisement regulations in Zimbabwe

Sibanda, Nobesuthu; Gavaza, Paul; Maponga, Charles C.; Mugore, Linnetie

doi:10.1093/ajhp/61.24.2678

Cited by 7 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Another study of 67 advertisements in Dubai found that safety information, like interaction, contraindications, and precautions, were lacking in 21%, 12%, and 47% respectively 15. In a study which examined 110 advertisements in Zimbabwe, adverse reactions and precautions were missing in more than 50% 16. Similar findings are also common in studies examining advertisements in medical journals.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

“…Other governmental regulations of drug-promotion activities also available in many parts of the world 6,7,8. Despite that, previous research examined advertisements in medical journals or advertisements circulated by pharmaceutical representatives through physicians’ clinics and community pharmacies found that information in advertisement materials might be inadequate, inaccurate, biased, and misleading 7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16. For instance, the findings of these studies indicated low rates of reporting safety information, like interaction, contraindications, and precautions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Analysis of written advertising material distributed through community pharmacies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Al-Aqeel

Al-sabhan

Sultan

2013

Pharmacy Practice (Internet)

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BackgroundAdvertising is a crucial component of pharmaceutical industry promotion. Research indicates that information on advertisement materials might be inadequate, inaccurate, biased, and misleading.ObjectiveTo analyse and critically assess the information presented in print pharmaceutical advertisements in Saudi Arabia.MethodsPharmaceutical advertisements were collected from 280 community pharmacies in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. The advertisements were evaluated using criteria derived from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) regulation, the World Health Organization (WHO) ethical medicinal drug promotion criteria, and other principles reported in similar studies. The data were extracted independently by two of the researchers using a standardized assessment form.ResultsOne hundred eighty five printed advertisements were included in the final sample. Approximately half of the advertisements (n = 94, 51%) were for over-the-counter (OTC) medications, and 71 (38%) were for prescription-only medication. Information such as the name of active ingredients was available in 168 (90.8%) advertisements, therapeutic uses were mentioned in 156 (98.7%) of analysed advertisements. Safety information related to side effects, precautions, and major interactions were stated in 53 (28.5%), 58 (31%), and 33 (16.5%) advertisements, respectively. Only 119 advertisements (64%) provided references for information presented.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that print advertisements do not convey all the information necessary for safe prescribing. These results have implications for the regulation of drug advertising and the continuing education of pharmacists.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of written advertising material distributed through community pharmacies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Al-Aqeel

Al-sabhan

Sultan

2013

Pharmacy Practice (Internet)

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“…Twenty-six studies [3], [13], [23], [25], [33], [43], [44], [45], [46], [47], [48], [49], [50], [51], [52], [53], [54], [55], [56], [57], [58], [59], [60], [61], [62], [63] were excluded after full review. The reasons for exclusion are detailed in the study flow diagram in Figure 1.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of Pharmaceutical Advertisements in Medical Journals: A Systematic Review

2009

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BackgroundJournal advertising is one of the main sources of medicines information to doctors. Despite the availability of regulations and controls of drug promotion worldwide, information on medicines provided in journal advertising has been criticized in several studies for being of poor quality. However, no attempt has been made to systematically summarise this body of research. We designed this systematic review to assess all studies that have examined the quality of pharmaceutical advertisements for prescription products in medical and pharmacy journals.Methods and FindingsStudies were identified via searching electronic databases, web library, search engine and reviewing citations (1950 – February 2006). Only articles published in English and examined the quality of information included in pharmaceutical advertisements for prescription products in medical or pharmacy journals were included. For each eligible article, a researcher independently extracted the data on the study methodology and outcomes. The data were then reviewed by a second researcher. Any disagreements were resolved by consensus. The data were analysed descriptively. The final analysis included 24 articles. The studies reviewed advertisements from 26 countries. The number of journals surveyed in each study ranged from four to 24 journals. Several outcome measures were examined including references and claims provided in advertisements, availability of product information, adherence to codes or guidelines and presentation of risk results. The majority of studies employed a convenience-sampling method. Brand name, generic name and indications were usually provided. Journal articles were commonly cited to support pharmaceutical claims. Less than 67% of the claims were supported by a systematic review, a meta-analysis or a randomised control trial. Studies that assessed misleading claims had at least one advertisement with a misleading claim. Two studies found that less than 28% of claims were unambiguous clinical claims. Most advertisements with quantitative information provided risk results as relative risk reduction. Studies were conducted in 26 countries only and then the generalizability of the results is limited.ConclusionsEvidence from this review indicates that low quality of journal advertising is a global issue. As information provided in journal advertising has the potential to change doctors' prescribing behaviour, ongoing efforts to increase education about drug promotion are crucial. The results from our review suggest the need for a global pro-active and effective regulatory system to ensure that information provided in medical journal advertising is supporting the quality use of medicines.

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“…The design of this study was based on WHO Ethical Criteria for Medicinal Drug Promotion and other principles from previous studies 12,18,19 .Brochures were[ [collected from doctors' offices in primary and secondary healthcare institutes in three cities in Libya (Tripoli, Benghazi and Sebha). As a convenience sample, three hundred brochures were collected between August and December 2010.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations require that all promotional printed material be accurate, balanced and consistent with the approved therapeutic claims 10 .However, in many countries, pharmaceutical companies do not always comply with these standards. Existing research demonstrates that pharmaceutical drug brochures can provide insufficient 11,12 and unsubstantiated information 11,13 as well as vague and misleading claims 11,12, 14, 16. Libya began privatising the pharmaceutical system in 2003. Pharmaceutical supplies were previously provided to both the public and private sectors by the National Pharmaceutical and Medical Supplies Company, but drug companies are also permitted to market and supply their products to both public and private health sectors through local agencies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Informative and Persuasive Content in Pharmaceutical Company Brochures in Libya

Alssageer

2013

LJPCP

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Objective: To examine the patterns of promoted drugs, the quality of information provided, the references cited, and the persuasive techniques used in pharmaceutical brochures in Libya.Method: Cross-sectional analysis of pharmaceutical brochures collected between August and November 2010 from doctors’ offices in three cities: Tripoli, Benghazi and Sebha.Result: From 300 collected brochures, we took190 promotional materials for 132 promoted products. Antibiotics (n=52; 27%) made up the largest proportion. Cardiovascular products (n=39; 20.5%) came next, with antihypertensive agents (n=23) approximately six-tenths (58.9%) and statins (n=9) nearly a quarter (23%) of that class. Twenty seven products (14.2%) were gastrointestinal tract agents (GITs) and 10 of the GITs were proton pump inhibiters (PPIs). Over 90% of brochures provided the generic name, indications, dosage regimen and brief pharmacological effects of the drugs they advertised. However, information on contraindications, precautions, pregnancy and lactation, and adverse effects appeared in only 70.5% of advertisements. Drug Overdose information appeared in only 33% of brochures, and out of the 134 (70%) of brochures that cited references, only 28 (20.8%) of these brochures cited their references appropriately. Only four of the advertisements displayed the generic name as prominently as the brand name and most (n=136; 71.5%) used only the trade name in the prescribing information section. Graphical presentations, emotional texts and pictorial content appeared in 60%, 88.9%, and 96.3%of brochures respectively.Conclusion: Almost all brochures did not adhere to WHO ethical criteria for drug promotion and mostly relied on persuasive techniques .

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Pharmaceutical manufacturers’ compliance with drug advertisement regulations in Zimbabwe

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Analysis of written advertising material distributed through community pharmacies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Analysis of written advertising material distributed through community pharmacies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Quality of Pharmaceutical Advertisements in Medical Journals: A Systematic Review

Analysis of Informative and Persuasive Content in Pharmaceutical Company Brochures in Libya

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