Field-based screening of selected oral antibiotics in Belize

Husaini, Danladi Chiroma; Kishan, Uppala Jyana Venkata; Wu, Chen‐Yi; Guerra, E.; Bush, Cindy J.; Perez, Ayleen Walewska; Coc, Israel

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0234814

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Drugs for the management of mental health, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular disorders are the second most unregistered and falsified medications with the highest incidents. Overall, the highest number of reported substandard and falsified medication incidents occurred in anti-infective drugs (Bate and Mathur, 2017; Rojas-Cortés, 2020; Jean-Baptiste et al , 2020; Husaini et al , 2020). Guyana has recently reported substandard antidiabetics, antibacterial, antihypertensive and anticoagulant medicines.…”

Section: Quality Of Medicines In Latin America and The Caribbean (Lac)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, only a few LAC countries produce their drugs, and essential medicines are imported from other countries. A growing problem worldwide is the presence of falsified and substandard medications on the market, which has contributed to the poor management of certain diseases and microbial drug resistance (Buckley and Gostin, 2013; Halabi and Gostin, 2015; Husaini et al , 2020). Substandard and falsified drugs can cause serious health problems, negatively affect treatment outcomes and cause treatment failure because the drug does not contain the proper amount of active ingredients or contains ingredients that mask the illness treated or non-medicinal substances (CDC, 2009; WHO, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quality of medicines and public health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC): a review

Husaini,

Bolon,

Smith

et al. 2023

IJPHM

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Purpose Increased outsourcing and importation of drugs from different parts of the world to the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region result in the proliferation of substandard and fake medicines, posing a threat to public health. The presence of substandard and fake medications in LAC regions is a source of public health concern and causes an economic burden to the governments in these regions. Whereas testing and detecting medication quality can easily be achieved in developed countries, the situation is different in developing countries such as LAC. This paper aims to examine the public health challenges faced by LAC regarding substandard, fake and counterfeit medicines and how the region can tackle these challenges. Design/methodology/approach Databases such as Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, HINARI, EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, unpublished data, conference abstracts and papers from World Health Organization, Pan-American Health Organization and electronic newspapers were searched concerning medicine quality and in LAC. Findings Drug treatment improves the quality of life while decreasing morbidity and mortality among diseased populations. Absence of or inadequate testing laboratories, old and ineffective legislature, lack of enforcement or willpower and lack of effective surveillance are challenges in LAC for the proliferation of substandard and falsified medicines (SFMs). Research limitations/implications The most significant limitation of this study was the need for the reviewers to have used articles written in other languages besides English. The LAC region has a large population in non-English-speaking countries, and many articles are written using local languages. Hence, excluding those articles is a limitation worthy of note in this review. The articles accessed needed to provide adequate information on SFM markets and illegal pharmacies or hospitals but did not. Future reviews may focus on providing illegal substandard and falsified medicines markets in the region and how they can be minimized or eliminated. Originality/value This review highlights the challenges faced by LAC countries regarding substandard, fake and counterfeit medicines. The sources, prevalence and consequences of substandard and falsified drugs were identified to suggest the measures needed to curb the infiltration of low-quality medicines in LAC.

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Section: Quality Of Medicines In Latin America and The Caribbean (Lac)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of medicines and public health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC): a review

Husaini,

Bolon,

Smith

et al. 2023

IJPHM

Self Cite

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“…The Belize Antibiotic Act (revised edition 2000) prohibits the sales of antibiotics to any person except on the prescription of a medical practitioner, dentist, or veterinary surgeon. For a while, the enforcement of this law has been very challenging for the Belize Ministry of Health due to insufficient human and financial resources and logistics [1]. The result is the indiscriminate sale of antibiotics by licensed community pharmacy operators in the country, which has the potential for promoting antibiotic resistance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prominent are economic gain, meeting customer demands, and weak regulation or enforcement of antibiotic laws [6][7][8]. In the case of Belize, weak regulatory enforcement due to limited human and financial resources has been reported as major challenges for the enforcement of the Antibiotics acts [1]. Economic gain and the desire by the pharmacists to meet client demands may be some of the reasons why some community pharmacists continue to sell antibiotics without prescription, thereby contravening the law prohibiting such practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Over-The-Counter Sales of Antibiotics at Community Pharmacies in Belize: A Cross-Sectional Simulated Client Visit study

et al. 2021

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Aim: In Belize, antibiotics are categorized as prescription-only drugs, and their sales over the counter without a prescription is prohibited. This study assessed the sales and dispensing of antibiotics in community pharmacies without a prescription. Methods: 36 community pharmacies in 4 districts of Belize were assessed for non-prescription sales of antibiotics using a simulated client method (SCM) approach from September to November 2019. Results: The majority (19; 52.8%) of the community pharmacies assessed refused to sell antibiotics without a prescription from a physician. Approximately 17 (47.2%) sold and dispensed antibiotics to simulated clients (SCs) without a prescription. Adequate patient counseling was provided by the pharmacists to the SCs. Conclusion: Some level of lack of compliance with the sales of antibiotics without prescription was observed among community pharmacists in this study. There is a need to reinforce stricter control on the sales and dispensing of antibiotics without prescription in the country of Belize.

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Optimizing critical quality attributes of fast disintegrating tablets using artificial neural networks: a scientific benchmark study

Desai,

Dhameliya,

Patel

2024

Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy

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Field-based screening of selected oral antibiotics in Belize

Cited by 3 publications

References 12 publications

Quality of medicines and public health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC): a review

Quality of medicines and public health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC): a review

Over-The-Counter Sales of Antibiotics at Community Pharmacies in Belize: A Cross-Sectional Simulated Client Visit study

Optimizing critical quality attributes of fast disintegrating tablets using artificial neural networks: a scientific benchmark study

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