Types of poor quality medicines : Poor quality medicines can be classified into three different man types : substandard , counterfeit and degraded. Substandard medicines “are genuine medicines produced by legitimate manufacturers that do not meet the quality specifications that the producer says they meet. For example, they may contain less (or more) active ingredient than written on the package. This may not e an intention to cheat, but may be due to problems with the manufacturing process”.(WHO, 2005). Counterfeit medicines are “deliberately and fraudently mislabelled with respect to identity and / or source. Counterfeiting may include products with the correct ingredients or with the wrong ingredients , without active ingredeients, with insufficient active ingredient or with fake packaging”(Wondemagegnehu, 1999). Degraded medicines may result from exposure of good quality medicines to light , heat, and humidity . it can be difficult to distinguish degraded medicines from those that left the factory as substandard , but the distinction is important as the causes and remedies are different(Keoluangkhot et al., 2008). Prevalence of poor quality of medicines Despite evidence suggesting that substandard, counterfeit, or degraded medicines are major problems of global importance, there are few reliable data describing their epidemiology. Only 5- 15% of the 191 member states of the WHO report cases of counterfeit medicines.(Paul N. Newton et al., 2006). Many data have
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Get AccessCritics have pointed a finger at the unethical use of intellectual property in the pharmaceutical industry claiming it is being used to set prices far above what those in third world countries can afford. Given that a good number of the raw material came from these regions, it is unethical to use intellectual property
In recent years, it has become an increasingly popular practice for drug companies to perform their clinical testing of new drugs in foreign countries that might not have the consumer protections or product liability laws present in the United States. Please answer each of the following questions using a theory studied in Module 2 specifically and thoroughly and using examples and facts from the readings and resources.
With access to prescription drugs, people are able to treat a multitude of diseases and illnesses. These drugs help deal with pain, inability to sleep, depression, and much more. Every day we are increasingly living in a world where there is better living through chemicals. However, what most do not seem to see is the rising tide of pain, illness, and ultimately death being caused by the pills people take every day. Most keep drugs in a special place in their minds, where they see them as harmless. Sadly, this is not the case, and in some cases our prescription drugs can be just as harmful as illegal drugs (King 68).
Section 64 (1) of the Act states that “No person shall, to the prejudice of the purchaser, sell any medicinal product which is not of the nature or quality demanded by the purchaser (The Medicines Act, 1968). This essentially means that every time a patient is accidently handed a wrong medicine- one that was not on the prescription, the pharmacist faces not only disciplinary action,
The pharmaceutical industry along with the manufacturers of healthcare products and technologies often encourage the misappropriation and distribution of marginally beneficial products and technologies in the healthcare industry. These companies often use various advertising methods to influence members of the public to request their products and services without adequate knowledge of their effectiveness and implications to their medical condition.
Medication errors are focused on: terms and definitions; incidence of and harm; risk factors; avoidance; disclosure, legalities & consequences (Wittich, Burkle & Lanier, 2014). Medication errors categories have been developed by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Examples of these categories are based on prescribing, omitting drugs not administered, timing, unauthorized drug, wrong dosage, wrong preparation, expired drug, not using laboratory data to monitor toxicity (Wittich, Burkle & Lanier, 2014). Additionally, this article examines in depth common causes leading to medication errors, drug nomenclature, similar sounding drugs, unapproved abbreviations and handwriting, medical staff shortages and manufacturer medication shortages. Even though this article provides an informative overview for physicians, other allied health personnel may benefit too. This is valuable knowledge for the health care professional not just physicians in order to provide safe care for their
Introduction: Since 2001, compounded drugs have caused more than 1,000 illnesses, and 87 deaths in the United States (cite 1). All of these unfortunate incidents were caused by errors during the manufacturing of compounded drugs, and in most cases, because of contamination. On the 25th of September 2013, the Drug Quality and Security Act, also known as H.R. 3204, was introduced, and three days later, was passed by the House of Representatives. On the 18th of November, this Act cleared the Senate. On the 27th of September, 2013, President Barack Obama signed the Drug Quality and Security Act into law (cite 2).
U. S. citizens pay the highest prescription drug prices in the world. This is an injustice that must be corrected. The "U.S. forbids the import of prescription drugs by anyone other than the original U.S. manufacturer, and even then only when the drugs meet all the approval requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)" (Barlett & Steele, 2004). Prescription drug prices are outrageously high in the United States because of the influence of advertising on consumer purchasing, the misleading statements by pharmaceutical companies about the cost of research and development of new drugs, the manipulation of patent laws, the antiquated laws regarding importation of
Medication errors are a major issue affecting patient safety in hospitals, which can create deadly consequences for patients. It is crucial to identify and analyzed medication errors so healthcare professionals can pinpoint why medication errors occur and provide insight into how to prevent or reduce them.
The earliest human records attest to the fact that human beings have been using addictive narcotics since we were hunter-gatherers. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, physicians prescribed drugs like opium, morphine, cocaine and even heroin in the United States. (Crocq 355) Currently, these substances are either highly regulated or they are outright illegal. The irony here is that the the largest pharmaceutical companies or Big Pharma as they are better known, are selling the general public narcotics that are just as addictive and harmful as what the many gangs in the United States are selling to their customer base. The last statement may sound extreme, however, the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer are prescription drugs both in the United States and in Europe. (Gotzche 628) Unfortunately, these pharmaceutical companies are not satisfied with just making us addicts, they are also bankrupting the American consumer and our health care system. The statistics of deaths and the criminal practices of these pharmaceutical companies are distressing, however, it is not surprising since their main objective is to maximize profits. First, let us take a look at some of the offenders.
Medicine has been around for thousands of years and has diversified and given us many options to treat illness or pain. Some are available as over-the-counter drugs that can be purchased almost anywhere and others require you to get a prescription from your doctor in order to get it. Some of these drugs that require a prescription often help people who deal with chronic pain, those who are at the end of their life, or cancer patients. Unfortunately these drugs, although helpful to those who need them, are being abused by millions of Americans every year. With doctors prescribing ludicrous amounts of prescription drug, sometimes when it is not even necessary, and our lack of knowledge on the subject, prescription drug abuse has become a big
Drug mishaps initially happen to be of critics and detractors of all patients. Pharmaceutical errors and mistakes are preventable episodes that happen because of a blunder during the time spent endorsing, administering, and administrating. Extreme cases frequently prompt negligence claims. The danger variables for drug blunders is talked around and also proposed systems to control them. In the coming of innovation, the medicine organization environment is
People all over the world, continue to be tendered prescription medication, which in many cases further complicate health issues with its myriad of side effects. In fact, statistics have shown that approximately 100,000 people around the world die as a result of prescription drugs annually (Smith, 2012). On the contrary, according
A dispensing error is a discrepancy between a prescription and the medicine that the pharmacy delivers to the patient or distributes to the ward on the basis of this prescription, including the dispensing of a medicine with inferior pharmaceutical or informational quality shows the categories of dispensing errors. If dispensing errors are considered from the perspective that the quality of all pharmacy care activities should be assured by the pharmacist, this list can be extended by
Every year, millions of people in America are prescribed a drug or medical device. These devices and medications are designed to help us live longer and improve our quality of life. That is exactly what they do for the majority of people who take them. However, many people are injured by defective drugs and medications.