Open AccessRISK DRIVERS OF FALSIFIED AND SUB-STANDARD MEDICINES IN EAST AFRICA: PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF PHARMACEUTICAL DRUG FACILITY OWNERS/EMPLOYEES
Author(s) -
Henry Fomundam,
Afewerki Weldezghi Tesfay,
Adelfa C. Maranga,
F Oyaro,
Henry Kambafwile
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of drug regulatory affairs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2321-7162
pISSN - 2321-6794
DOI - 10.22270/ijdra.v2i3.9
Subject(s) - counterfeit , tanzania , counterfeit drugs , business , quality (philosophy) , perception , medicine , access to medicines , marketing , family medicine , socioeconomics , geography , nursing , psychology , public health , philosophy , archaeology , epistemology , neuroscience , sociology
An interview survey was conducted among drug shop owners to investigate the access to and perception ofcounterfeit medication along transport corridors of East Africa spanning Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and DemocraticRepublic of Congo. Owners of 171 retail drug outlets of modern medicines were interviewed on their knowledge,perception, and practices related to counterfeit medicines. Forty-four (44) encounters with counterfeit medicines werereported. Twenty-two (22) of the 171 interviewed drug store owners said that quality was the least important aspectthey considered when procuring drugs. Generally, 65.9% of the drugs were sourced from registered wholesalers anddistributors while the remaining 34.1% were supplied by unregistered in-country or cross-border sales representatives.In all the four countries, the 10 fastest moving drugs were reported to originate from 27 different countries with most(39%) from India. From 171 interviewees, 135 acknowledged that they were aware of the existence of counterfeitdrugs, 106 of whom attributed their level of awareness to mass media. Only 32 of the interviewees reported havingreceived any formal training on counterfeit medicines at seminars or workshops. 160 of the intervieweesacknowledged that counterfeit drugs pose a major threat to the patient and pharmaceutical market. The region has aplethora of drug outlets run by attendants with varying backgrounds, diverse knowledge on medicines and practicepatterns. There is an urgent need for medicine regulators and other stakeholders in Africa involved in medicine safety,to focus on properly regulating these outlets and also standardizing and training the drug outlet personnel.