Public Awareness and Identification of Counterfeit Drugs in Tanzania: A View on Antimalarial Drugs

Abstract

Background. The illicit trade in counterfeit antimalarial drugs is a major setback to the fight against malaria. Information on public awareness and ability to identify counterfeit drugs is scanty.Aim. Therefore, the present study aimed at assessing public awareness and the ability to identify counterfeit antimalarial drugs based on simple observations such as appearance of the drugs, packaging, labelling, and leaflets.Methodology. A cross-sectional study was conducted using interviewer administered structured questionnaire and a checklist. Respondents were required to spot the difference between genuine and counterfeit antimalarial drugs given to them. Data was analysed using SPSS version 20.Results. The majority of respondents, 163 (55.6%), were able to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit antimalarial drugs. Respondents with knowledge on health effects of counterfeit drugs were more likely to identify genuine and counterfeit drugs than their counterparts (P=0.003; OR = 2.95; 95% CI: 1.47–5.65). The majority of respondents, 190 (64.8%), perceived the presence of counterfeit drugs to be a big problem to the community.Conclusions. A substantial proportion of respondents were able to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit antimalarial drugs. Public empowerment in identifying counterfeit drugs by simple observations is a major step towards discouraging the market of counterfeit drugs.

Public Awareness and Attitude towards Counterfeit Medicines in Sudan: A cross-sectional study

“…Although, there is a positive correlation between awareness and attitude, socio-demographic characteristics, profession and education level were not borne out to be significantly associated with the awareness and attitude. This result is inconsistent with the Mhando et al and Sholy et al results, which they reported that education and profession has a significant effect on awareness and attitude [31,47].…”

A focused netnographic study exploring experiences associated with counterfeit and contaminated anabolic-androgenic steroids

“…Forum members were able to informally identify products they believed were counterfeit, and shared this information and advice on the forums, which included sharing details about what forum members believe products should look like including the packaging and labelling of the box as well as the appearance of the actual product. In a study conducted by Mhando and colleagues [55], which sought to increase public awareness and ability to identify antimalarial drugs, those who had a better knowledge on the health effects of counterfeit products were better able to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit antimalarial drugs through the inspection of the appearance of the drug and the accompanying packaging and labelling. This appears to be very similar in the current study, where the forum members acknowledged that counterfeit products were an issue of concern and that those who appeared to have more experience and knowledge about the issue were able to not only make informed decisions around identifying and consuming these products, but were able to share this with others.…”

The Nigerian Pharmaceutical Supply Chain: Blockchain Adoption, Counterfeit Drugs and Successful Deployment of COVID-19 Vaccine in Nigeria

“…The countries hit more by the torrent of counterfeited versions of drugs are mainly the third world countries, i.e., some parts of Asia and numerous African countries [8]. Seiter [9] analysed the negative impact of the counterfeited versions of antimalarial drugs in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to depict this issue's severity.…”