Articles

Controlled Substance Agreements for Opioids in a Primary Care Practice

Opioids are widely prescribed for chronic non cancer pain (CNCP). Controlled substance agreements (CSAs) are intended to increase adherence and mitigate risk with opioid prescribing. We evaluated the demograp...

Authors: Lindsey M. Philpot, Priya Ramar, Muhamad Y. Elrashidi, Raphael Mwangi, Frederick North and Jon O. Ebbert

Hypnotics use in children 0–18 months: moderate agreement between mother-reported survey data and prescription registry data

Different methods in pharmacoepidemiology can be used to study hypnotic use in children. But neither questionnaire-based data nor prescription records can be considered a “gold standard”. This study aimed to i...

Authors: Ingvild Holdø, Jørgen G. Bramness, Marte Handal, Leila Torgersen, Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud, Eivind Ystrøm, Hedvig Nordeng and Svetlana Skurtveit

Antimicrobial resistance in India

Authors: Isha Patel, Rabia Hussain, Anam Khan, Akram Ahmad, Muhammad Umair Khan and Mohamed Azmi Ahmed Hassalai

Evaluation of a guided continuous quality improvement program in community pharmacies

The importance of creating and sustaining a strong culture of patient safety has been recognized as a critical component of safe medication use. This study aims to assess changes in attitudes toward patient sa...

Authors: Chanadda Chinthammit, Michael T. Rupp, Edward P. Armstrong, Tara Modisett, Rebecca P. Snead and Terri L. Warholak

Evaluating insulin information provided on discharge summaries in a secondary care hospital in the United Kingdom

Prescribing errors at the time of hospital discharge are common and could potentially lead to avoidable patient harm, especially when they involve insulin, a high-risk medicine widely used for the treatment of...

Authors: Amie Bain, Lois Nettleship, Sallianne Kavanagh and Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar

Antibiotic use during pregnancy: a retrospective study of prescription patterns and birth outcomes at an antenatal clinic in rural Ghana

Babies are increasingly being exposed to antibiotics intrapartum in the bid to reduce neonatal and maternal deaths. Intrapartum antibiotic exposure, including even those considered safe in pregnancy, have been...

Authors: Kwesi Boadu Mensah, Kwame Opoku-Agyeman and Charles Ansah

Drug utilization patterns among elderly hospitalized patients on poly-pharmacy in Punjab, Pakistan

Reports from drug utilization reviews are important tools employed in the assessment of healthcare practices. The objective of this study was to evaluate drug utilization patterns among elderly hospitalized pa...

Authors: Muhammad Rehan Sarwar, Muhammad Atif, Shane Scahill, Anum Saqib, Muhammad Qamar-uz-Zaman and Zaheer Babar

Taking the lead from our colleagues in medical education: the use of images of the in-vivo setting in teaching concepts of pharmaceutical science

Despite pharmaceutical sciences being a core component of pharmacy curricula, few published studies have focussed on innovative methodologies to teach the content. This commentary identifies imaging techniques...

Authors: Louise E. Curley, Julia Kennedy, Jordan Hinton, Ali Mirjalili and Darren Svirskis

Exploring the status of retail private drug shops in Bangladesh and action points for developing an accredited drug shop model: a facility based cross-sectional study

The private retail drug shops market in Bangladesh is largely unregulated and unaccountable, giving rise to irrational use of drugs and high Out-of-pocket expenditure on health. These shops are served by sales...

Authors: Syed Masud Ahmed, Nahitun Naher, Tarek Hossain and Lal Bahadur Rawal

The effectiveness of naltrexone combined with current smoking cessation medication to attenuate post smoking cessation weight gain: a literature review

Smoking is the number one cause of preventable morbidity and mortality globally and although many countries have invested heavily in smoking cessation programs, 21% of the global population still smoke. Post c...

Authors: Raewyn Rees and Ali Seyfoddin

Data exclusivity exceptions and compulsory licensing to promote generic medicines in the European Union: A proposal for greater coherence in European pharmaceutical legislation

The challenge of providing access to high-priced patented medicines is a global problem affecting all countries. A decade and a half ago the use of flexibilities contained in the World Trade Organization Agree...

Authors: Ellen F. M. ‘t Hoen, Pascale Boulet and Brook K. Baker

Promoting transparency, accountability, and access through a multi-stakeholder initiative: lessons from the medicines transparency alliance

Barriers to expanding access to medicines include weak pharmaceutical sector governance, lack of transparency and accountability, inadequate attention to social services on the political agenda, and financing ...

Authors: Taryn Vian, Jillian C. Kohler, Gilles Forte and Deirdre Dimancesco

Comparison of medicines management strategies in insurance schemes in middle-income countries: four case studies

Many middle-income countries are scaling up health insurance schemes to provide financial protection and access to affordable medicines to poor and uninsured populations. Although there is a wealth of evidence...

Authors: Warren A. Kaplan, Paul G. Ashigbie, Mohamad I. Brooks and Veronika J. Wirtz

Individual capacity-building approaches in a global pharmaceutical systems strengthening program: a selected review

Medicines use related challenges such as inadequate adherence, high levels of antimicrobial resistance and preventable adverse drug reactions have underscored the need to incorporate pharmaceutical services to...

Authors: Niranjan Konduri, Megan Rauscher, Shiou-Chu Judy Wang and Tanya Malpica-Llanos

Two years post affordable medicines facility for malaria program: availability and prices of anti-malarial drugs in central Ghana

The Affordable Medicines Facility for malaria (AMFm) Program was a subsidy aimed at artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in order to increase availability, affordability, and market share of ACTs in ...

Authors: Alexander Freeman, Anthony Kwarteng, Lawrence Gyabaa Febir, Seeba Amenga-Etego, Seth Owusu-Agyei and Kwaku Poku Asante

Ethiopian patients’ perceptions of anti-diabetic medications: implications for diabetes education

The purpose of this study is to explore medication-related perceptions of adult patients with type 2 diabetes attending treatment in public hospitals of urban centers in central Ethiopia.

Authors: Bruck Messele Habte, Tedla Kebede, Teferi Gedif Fenta and Heather Boon

Antibiotic knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of Albanian health care professionals and patients – a qualitative interview study

The inappropriate use of antimicrobials is a problem worldwide. To target future interventions, a thorough understanding of the reasons behind this current behaviour is needed. Within the EU, the culture of an...

Authors: Susanne Kaae, Admir Malaj and Iris Hoxha

Comparison of hydroxyethyl starch regulatory summaries from the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency

This article aims to highlight the positions of the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency regarding use and marketing of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) products, and how these have changed ...

Authors: Christian J. Wiedermann and Klaus Eisendle

Drug pricing and reimbursement decision making systems in Mongolia

It is essential to allocate available resources equitably in order to ensure accessibility and affordability of essential medicines, especially in less fortunate nations with limited health funding. Currently,...

Authors: Gereltuya Dorj, Bruce Sunderland, Tsetsegmaa Sanjjav, Gantuya Dorj and Byambatsogt Gendenragchaa

The changing landscape of expanded access to investigational drugs for patients with unmet medical needs: ethical implications

When patients are told that standard medical treatment options have been exhausted, their treating physicians may start looking for promising new drugs that are not yet approved, and still under investigation....

Authors: Eline M. Bunnik, Nikkie Aarts and Suzanne van de Vathorst

Capacity for ethical and regulatory review of herbal trials in developing countries: a case study of Moringa oleifera research in HIV-infected patients

Lack of regulatory capacity limits the conduct of ethical and rigorous trials of herbal medicines in developing countries. Sharing ethical and regulatory experiences of successful herbal trials may accelerate ...

Authors: Tsitsi G. Monera-Penduka, Charles C. Maponga, Gene D. Morse and Charles F. B. Nhachi

Structured pharmaceutical care improves the health-related quality of life of patients with asthma

Asthma as a chronic health condition can be controlled when in addition to clinical care, adequate education and support is provided to enhance self-management. Like many other chronic health conditions improv...

Authors: Philip O. Anum, Berko P. Anto and Audrey G. Forson

Engagement of the private pharmaceutical sector for TB control: rhetoric or reality?

Private-sector retail drug outlets are often the first point of contact for common health ailments, including tuberculosis (TB). Systematic reviews on public-private mix (PPM) interventions for TB did not perf...

Authors: Niranjan Konduri, Emily Delmotte and Edmund Rutta

Prices and availability of locally produced and imported medicines in Ethiopia and Tanzania

To assess the effect of policies supporting local medicine production to improve access to medicines.

Authors: M. Ewen, W. Kaplan, T. Gedif, M. Justin-Temu, C. Vialle-Valentin, Z. Mirza, B. Regeer, M. Zweekhorst and R. Laing

Civil society engagement in multi-stakeholder dialogue: a qualitative study exploring the opinions and perceptions of MeTA members

The Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) is an initiative that brings together all stakeholders in the medicines market to create a multi-stakeholder dialogue and improve access, availability and affordabili...

Authors: Gemma L. Buckland-Merrett, Catherine Kilkenny and Tim Reed

Approval status and evidence for WHO essential medicines for children in the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan: a cross-sectional study

The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc) covers medicines for globally high-burden diseases. Regulatory approval in high-income countries ensures evidence and dosage form but usually focus...

Authors: Rumiko Shimazawa and Masayuki Ikeda

The choice between a ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor- and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based regimen for initiation of antiretroviral treatment – results from an observational study in Germany

This study aims at identifying predictors of the treatment decision of German physicians with regard to a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) or a ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor (PI/r)...

Authors: Jörg Mahlich, Mona Groß, Alexander Kuhlmann, Johannes Bogner, Hans Heiken and Matthias Stoll

Assessing medication packaging and labelling appropriateness in Sri Lanka

There is substantial evidence of poor dispensing practices with inadequate packaging and labelling of medicines, and limited advice on their usage in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). We examined the la...

Authors: N. Athuraliya, E. J. Walkom, S. Dharmaratne and J. Robertson

Interaction and medical inducement between pharmaceutical representatives and physicians: a meta-synthesis

It has been proven that the interaction between pharmaceutical representatives and physicians can directly influence the latter’s prescribing behaviour. This meta-synthesis aims to explore the available studie...

Authors: Shahrzad Salmasi, Long Chiau Ming and Tahir Mehmood Khan

Fighting poor-quality medicines in low- and middle-income countries: the importance of advocacy and pedagogy

The globalization of pharmaceutical production has not been accompanied by a strengthening and harmonization of the regulatory systems worldwide. Thus, the global market is characterized today by a situation o...

Authors: Raffaella Ravinetto, Daniel Vandenbergh, Cécile Macé, Corinne Pouget, Brigitte Renchon, Jean Rigal, Benedetta Schiavetti and Jean-Michel Caudron

Impact of switching from intravenous to oral linezolid therapy in Japanese patients: a retrospective cohort study

High oral bioavailability of antimicrobial agents can result in the replacement of intravenous (IV) therapy with oral therapy when a patient meets defined clinical criteria. However, few studies have evaluated...

Authors: Akihiro Tanaka, Akiko Yano, Shinichi Watanabe, Mamoru Tanaka and Hiroaki Araki

An assessment of the future impact of alternative technologies on antibiotics markets

The increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance combined with the paucity of new classes of antibiotics represents a serious public health challenge. New treatment technologies could, in theory, have a signi...

Authors: Ejike Nwokoro, Ross Leach, Christine Årdal, Enrico Baraldi, Kellie Ryan and Jens Plahte

Medicine and the future of health: reflecting on the past to forge ahead

The development of new therapies has a rich history, evolves quickly with societal trends, and will have an exciting future. The last century has seen an exponential increase in complex interactions between me...

Authors: Dale Fisher, Paul Wicks and Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar

Impact of pharmacists as immunizers on influenza vaccination coverage in the community-setting in Nova Scotia, Canada: 2013-2015

Annual immunization is the most effective way to prevent influenza and its associated complications. However, optimal immunization rates are not being met in Nova Scotia, Canada. Additional providers, such as ...

Authors: Jennifer E. Isenor, Jessica L. Killen, Beverly A. Billard, Shelly A. McNeil, Donna MacDougall, Beth A. Halperin, Kathryn L. Slayter and Susan K. Bowles

Towards the just and sustainable use of antibiotics

The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant pathogens poses a big challenge to policy-makers, who need to oversee the transformation of health systems that evolved to provide easy access to these drugs in...

Authors: Gemma L. Buckland Merrett, Gerald Bloom, Annie Wilkinson and Hayley MacGregor

Fighting falsified medicines with paperwork – a historic review of Danish legislation governing distribution of medicines

Many areas of pharmaceutical legislation in the European Union (EU) are harmonised in order to promote the internal market and protect public health. Ideally, harmonisation leads to less fragmented regulation ...

Authors: Rasmus Borup, Susanne Kaae, Timo Minssen and Janine Traulsen

Novel models to improve access to medicines for chronic diseases in South Africa: an analysis of stakeholder perspectives on community-based distribution models

The rising demand for chronic disease treatment and the barriers to accessing these medicines have led to the development of novel models for distributing medicines in South Africa’s public sector, including d...

Authors: Bvudzai Priscilla Magadzire, Bruno Marchal and Kim Ward

Is there potential for the future provision of triage services in community pharmacy?

Worldwide the demands on emergency and primary health care services are increasing. General practitioners and accident and emergency departments are often used unnecessarily for the treatment of minor ailments...

Authors: Louise E. Curley, Janice Moody, Rukshar Gobarani, Trudi Aspden, Maree Jensen, Maureen McDonald, John Shaw and Janie Sheridan

Assessment of WHO/INRUD core drug use indicators in two tertiary care hospitals of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan

Medicines are a main therapeutic intervention provided within hospitals and their proper use in the outpatient setting is important for patients and the community. The objective of this study was to evaluate d...

Authors: Muhammad Atif, Muhammad Rehan Sarwar, Muhammad Azeem, Danial Umer, Abdul Rauf, Arslan Rasool, Muhammad Ahsan and Shane Scahill

Forces influencing generic drug development in the United States: a narrative review

The United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration, as protectors of public health, encourages generic drug development and use so that patients can access affordable medications. The FDA, however, has limi...

Authors: Chia-Ying Lee, Xiaohan Chen, Robert J. Romanelli and Jodi B. Segal

The fate of the new pharmacy bill: going backwards or forwards?

The proposed Pharmacy Bill of Malaysia which served to consolidate and harmonise the existing pharmacy legislation which has been used for more than 60 years. This new Pharmacy Bill contains 17 parts and a tot...

Authors: Kah Seng Lee, Yen Wei Lim and Long Chiau Ming

Use of a fictitious community-based virtual teaching platform to aid in the teaching of pharmacy practice skills: Student perspectives after initial implementation

Providing patient-centred care requires pharmacy students to learn how to interact effectively and understand individual differences that can influence patients’ health. The School of Pharmacy at The University o...

Authors: Louise E. Curley, Maureen McDonald and Trudi Aspden

Prescription medicine sharing: exploring patients’ beliefs and experiences

Prescription medicine sharing has been defined as the lending of medicines (giving prescription medicines to someone else) or borrowing of medicines (being given and using a medicine prescribed for another per...

Authors: Kebede Beyene, Trudi Aspden and Janie Sheridan

The global intellectual property ecosystem for insulin and its public health implications: an observational study

Lack of access to insulin and poor health outcomes are issues for both low and high income countries. This has been accompanied by a shift from relatively inexpensive human insulin to its more expensive analog...

Authors: Warren A. Kaplan and Reed F. Beall

Economic contributions of pharmaceutical interventions by pharmacists: a retrospective report in Japan

Pharmacists in Japan currently play a key role in patient hospital care. Their responsibilities include filling prescriptions, checking a patient’s medication history, and providing appropriate information to ...

Authors: Daiki Yasunaga, Yuichi Tasaka, Satoshi Murakami, Akihiro Tanaka, Mamoru Tanaka and Hiroaki Araki

Assessment of current prescribing practices using World Health Organization core drug use and complementary indicators in selected rural community pharmacies in Southern India

Due to the lack of clear, comprehensive, and rational drug policy, the production of pharmaceutical preparations in India is distorted for the most part. Indian markets are flooded with more than 70,000 formul...

Authors: Anandhasayanam Aravamuthan, Mohanavalli Arputhavanan, Kannan Subramaniam and Sam Johnson Udaya Chander J

‘Better medicines for children’ within the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness framework: a qualitative inquiry in Uganda

The Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses is the main approach for treating children in more than 100 low income countries worldwide. In 2007, the World Health Assembly urged countries to integrate ‘bet...

Authors: Xavier Nsabagasani, Japer Ogwal-Okeng, Ebba Holme Hansen, Anthony Mbonye, Herbert Muyinda and Freddie Ssengooba

Article 1: Supervision, Performance Assessment, and Recognition Strategy (SPARS) - a multipronged intervention strategy for strengthening medicines management in Uganda: method presentation and facility performance at baseline

Uganda introduced a multipronged intervention, the supervision, performance assessment, and recognition strategy (SPARS), to improve medicines management (MM) in public and not-for-profit health facilities. Th...

Authors: Birna Trap, Denis Okidi Ladwar, Martin Olowo Oteba, Martha Embrey, Mohammed Khalid and Anita Katharina Wagner

Experiences from a pilot study on how to conduct a qualitative multi-country research project regarding use of antibiotics in Southeast Europe

In 2014, a qualitative multi-country research project was launched to study the reasons behind the high use of antibiotics in regions of Southeast Europe by using previously untrained national interviewers (wh...

Authors: Susanne Kaae, Sofia Kälvemark Sporrong, Janine Morgall Traulsen, Helle Wallach Kildemoes, Lotte Stig Nørgaard, Arianit Jakupi, Denis Raka, Emre Umut Gürpinar, Ali Alkan, Iris Hoxha, Admir Malaj and Lourdes Arevalo Cantarero

Using health markets to improve access to medicines: three case studies

This editorial introduces a series of case studies that together highlight the use of health market interventions to improve access to medicines in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs). It underscores the a...

Authors: Zubin Shroff, Maryam Bigdeli, Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar, Anita Wagner, Abdul Ghaffar and David H Peters