Objective: There are concerns with increased prices and drug shortages for pertinent medicines and personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent and treat COVID-19 enhanced by misinformation. Community pharmacists and drug stores play a significant role in disease management in Bangladesh due to high co-payments. Consequently, a need to review prices and availability in the pandemic. Materials and Methods: Multiple approach involving a review and questionnaire among pharmacies and stores early March to end May 2020. Results and Discussion: 170 pharmacies and drug stores took part, giving a response rate of 63.9%. Encouragingly, no change in utilization of antimalarial medicines in 51.2% of stores despite global endorsements. However, increased utilisation of antibiotics (70.6%), analgesics (97.6%), vitamins (90.6%) and PPE (over 95%). Encouragingly, increases in purchasing of PPE. No increase in prices among 50% of the stores for antimalarials, with a similar situation for antibiotics (65.3%), analgesics (54.7%), and vitamins (51.8%). However, price increases typically for PPE (over 90% of stores). Shortages also seen for medicines and PPE, again greater for PPE. Conclusions: The pandemic has impacted on the supply and prices of medicines and PPE in Bangladesh. Key stakeholder groups can play a role addressing misinformation, with enhanced local production helping address future shortages and prices. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.19(0) 2020 p. S 36-S 50

Background: Prevalence rates of patients with diabetes are growing across countries, and Bangladesh is no exception. Associated costs are also increasing, driven by costs associated with the complications of diabetes including hypoglycemia. Long-acting insulin analogues were developed to reduce hypoglycemia as well as improve patient comfort and adherence. However, they have been appreciably more expensive, reducing their affordability and use. Biosimilars offer a way forward. Consequently, there is a need to document current prescribing and dispensing rates for long-acting insulin analogues across Bangladesh, including current prices and differences, as a result of affordability and other issues. Methods: Mixed method approach including surveying prescribing practices in hospitals coupled with dispensing practices and prices among community pharmacies and drug stores across Bangladesh. This method was adopted since public hospitals only dispense insulins such as soluble insulins free-ofcharge until funds run out and all long-acting insulin analogues have to be purchased from community stores. Results: There has been growing prescribing and dispensing of long-acting insulins in Bangladesh in recent years, now accounting for over 80% of all insulins dispensed in a minority of stores. This increase has been helped by growing prescribing and dispensing of biosimilar insulin glargine at lower costs than the originator, with this trend likely to continue with envisaged growth in the number of patients. Consequently, Bangladesh can serve as an exemplar to other low-and middle-income countries struggling to fund long-acting insulin analogues for their patients. Conclusions: It was encouraging to see continued growth in the prescribing and dispensing of longacting insulin analogues in Bangladesh via the increasing availability of biosimilars. This is likely to continue benefitting all key stakeholder groups.

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Aim: Hospital is an integral part of society. It can play vital role in saving lives during disasters. Bangladesh is a highly disaster-prone country in the world. It is urgent to know the safety status and response capacity of our healthcare facilities to ensure effective, necessary healthcare services during a disaster, safety and security of healthcare providers and patients. Our aim was to assess hospital safety status and response capacity of selected Upazila Health Complexes [primary healthcare hospital (PHH)]. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at three PHH namely-Savar, Dhamrai and Saturia PHH. Sampling Technique: Purposive sampling technique was used. Healthcare providers and supporting staffs of the selected PHH and the PHH building were the study population of this study. The number of healthcare providers (physicians and nurses) in each PHH was 20. The total number of healthcare providers as study population was 60. The number of supporting staffs in each PHH was 73. The total number of supporting staff as study population was 219. PHH itself was a study population in this study and the total number of PHHs as study population was three. Estimated total number of study population was 282. Data were collected from 110 participants due to resource constraint. Of the 110 participants, 28 were physicians, 26 were nurses and 50 were other staffs. Three hospitals (PHH) were also included as the study population in this study. Results: Among the three PHH, Savar and Dhamrai were classified as average resilient healthcare facilities on the impacts of the eventual disasters and Saturia PHH was classified as vulnerable healthcare facility on the impacts of the disasters. Conclusion: Bangladesh has a large population compared to scarce healthcare resources. It is very pertinent to know the hospital safety status and response capacity of the healthcare facilities. Although it was a small-scale study, the results are alarming. This study will help policymakers decide priority-based resource allocations for the hospitals.