Background Maternal and child mortality is a global concern and one of South Africa’s quadruple burdens of disease. As easily accessible frontline healthcare workers, pharmacists play an important role in the continuum of maternal and child health (MCH) care according to recommendations by international health regulatory bodies. Pharmacy schools are obliged to train pharmacy students to meet the priority health needs of the population so that graduates are ‘fit for purpose’. The baseline study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and skills of 2017 final year pharmacy students who were exposed to a fragmented MCH care curriculum at a university in South Africa to inform curriculum review. Methods A descriptive, quantitative, non-randomized study was conducted among final year pharmacy students using a self-administered structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed in sections to assess participants’ knowledge of reproductive and sexual health (RSH), maternal and antenatal care (MAC), neonatal and child care (NCC) and skills related to infant growth assessment procedures. Data was analysed descriptively using frequencies and percentages. A score of 50% in each section of the questionnaire indicated a pass. Participants assessed their exposure to MCH topics in the curriculum. Results Of the 89 available students, 61% consented to participate in the study. The average scores attained for each section were; 62.4% for RSH, 54.5% for MAC, 50.4% for NCC and 25.3% for infant growth assessment. The pass rate was 78% for RSH, 56% for MAC, 57% for NCC, and 19% for infant growth assessment. About 13% of the participants passed all the knowledge and the skills sections. Age, gender, being a parent or doing locums did not have any influence on participants’ performance. Participants reported that they had more on-campus curriculum content exposure to RSH compared to other MCH care topics. Conclusion Final year pharmacy students showed adequate knowledge of RSH with adequate curriculum exposure. Average knowledge of MAC, NCC and poor skills in infant growth assessment which corresponded to curriculum exposure was observed. The results suggest the need for improvement in the current curriculum in the affected areas to adequately equip students to render desirable services.

The South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) regulates undergraduate pharmacy education and pharmacy practice. The SAPC Good Pharmacy Practice manual describes the role of pharmacists in maternal and child health (MCH) in line with the recommendation of international health regulatory bodies. However, baseline study findings in 2017 supported literature from around the world that indicated a need for curriculum review and integration to address the knowledge and skills gap in pharmacists’ MCH training. This paper describes the development and implementation of an integrated framework for MCH training across the four years of a Bachelor of Pharmacy program. The intervention included didactic lectures, skills practical on infant growth assessment, and an experiential learning component at primary health care clinics and pharmacies. Knowledge and skills assessment on contraception, maternal and antenatal care, and neonatal and child care were carried out pre, eight weeks post, and two years post intervention using the same questionnaire. ANOVA and post hoc analyses showed that participants’ knowledge and skills increased post intervention but decreased significantly two years later except in contraception where students experienced longitudinal integration of the MCH component. Geenerally, participants performed above the university average except in maternal and antenatal care.

Drug repurposing for COVID-19 has several potential benefits including shorter development time, reduced costs and regulatory support for faster time to market for treatment that can alleviate the current pandemic. The current study used molecular docking, molecular dynamics and protein-protein interaction simulations to predict drugs from the Drug Bank that can bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein interacting surface on the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor. The study predicted a number of peptide-based drugs, including Sar9 Met (O2)11-Substance P and BV2, that might bind sufficiently to the hACE2 receptor to modulate the protein-protein interaction required for infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Such drugs could be validated in vitro or in vivo as potential inhibitors of the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) in the airway. Exploration of the proposed and current pharmacological indications of the peptide drugs predicted as potential inhibitors of the interaction between the spike protein and hACE2 receptor revealed that some of the predicted peptide drugs have been investigated for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), viral infection, inflammation and angioedema, and to stimulate the immune system, and potentiate antiviral agents against influenza virus. Furthermore, these predicted drug hits may be used as a basis to design new peptide or peptidomimetic drugs with better affinity and specificity for the hACE2 receptor that may prevent interaction between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and hACE2 that is prerequisite to the infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

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