scholarly journals Availability of essential medicines in Pakistan—A comprehensive document analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0253880
Author(s):  
Sunaina Rafi ◽  
Huma Rasheed ◽  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Hafiz Awais Nawaz ◽  
Syed Muneeb Anjum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Document Analysis ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Major Barrier ◽  
Registration Status ◽  
Accessible Information ◽  
Other Substances ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
On Line ◽  
Remedial Strategies

Introduction Access to essential medicines (EMs) is a basic human right. Non-availability and shortages of EMs are reported for Pakistan but there is insufficient data to define the nature and magnitude of this problem. The current study is designed to systematically analyze the medicines included in the National Essential Medicines List (NEML) for their availability through comprehensive document analysis. Methods An expanded list of medicinal items was developed using the NEML of Pakistan (2018) to enlist individual medicines with their specifications. Registration status of the medicines was searched using three publicly accessible information sources; Pharmaguide 25th Edition, 2018–19, the on-line Drug Information System, and the Mobile Application Pharmapedia followed by a later 3-step validation of the data. The unregistered EMs were then further categorized into three subgroups in accordance with their possible remedial strategies. Findings The 19 studied categories comprised 690 EMs and it was found that 179 (26%) of these EMs don not have a registration status. However, it was also identified that the availability of 47 (26.2%) out of 179 unregistered EMs can be enssured by strengthening compounding services, and prioritizing registration of age-appropriate formulations. Availability of another 39 (21.7%) such medicines can be ensured by revising the NEML or the product registrations for the slight differences in their different specifications. The categories showing high proportion of unregistered medicines included anti-Parkinson’s medicines (100%), antidotes and other substances used in poisoning (60%), diuretics (47%), anticonvulsants/antiepileptics (42%), hormones and other endocrine medicines and contraceptives (38%), medicines for mental and behavioral disorders (30%), anti-infectives (27%), medicines for pain and palliative care (26%), medicines for neonatal care (25%), medicines for diseases of joint (25%), gastrointestinal medicines (24%) and cardiovascular medicines (15%). Conclusion The study shows the absence of registration status of a significant number of EMs in Pakistan. This could be major barrier in their access. Strategies are needed to strengthen the processes of their registration on priority basis.

Patents on Drugs: Manufacturing Scarcity or Advancing Health?

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bebe Loff ◽  
Mark Heywood
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Patent Law ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
Treatment Access ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Major Barrier ◽  
Right To Health Care ◽  
Aids Epidemic ◽  
High Commissioner ◽  
The Right

Respect for and promotion of the human rights of people with HIV/AIDS is now an entrenched component of the global response to HIV. However, as the global HIV epidemic has turned into a global AIDS epidemic, and as the death toll mounts, one area of human rights—the right to health care—has become fiercely contested. In particular, the degree to which patents on medicines impede what the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has described as the “human right” of access to essential medicines is receiving close scrutiny. The controversy generated by a recent article that argues, “in Africa patents and patent law are not a major barrier to treatment access in and of themselves,” is indicative of the intensity of the debate.

Comparison of On-Line and Physical Presentation of Product Safety Information

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (19) ◽  
pp. 1748-1752
Author(s):  
Emelda Santos ◽  
Marc L. Resnick
Keyword(s):  
Product Information ◽  
Safety Information ◽  
Product Safety ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Accessible Information ◽  
Physical Channel ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
On Line ◽  
Internet Channel

The Internet has become a popular channel for the purchase of products. In 2001, 5$3 billion was spent online by U.S. consumers and 1$28 billion by non-U.S. consumers. However, there are few guidelines for how product safety information should be presented in on-line stores, generally leading to a lack of easily accessible information. This leads to several challenges for consumers. If no safety information is presented, consumers may choose not to purchase the product. Or they may purchase the product only to return it after reading the warnings on the physical product, or use the product and be injured. This study investigated the differences in behavior, perception, and comprehension when consumers purchased a toy for a 3-year old on-line and through the physical channel. Several differences in behavior were identified. Encouragingly, there were no significant differences in compliance, measured by the selection of age-appropriate toys, between the Internet and physical channels. However, perceptions were different. Participants were more likely to notice the warning on the Internet channel and more likely to recall and comprehend its recommendations. The results also supported previous studies that showed that users are more likely to notice, comprehend, and comply with warnings when they are presented saliently. This study extended that result to warnings presented through the Internet channel. Behavioral differences were also found. Participants relied more heavily on written product information to make their purchase choices on the Internet, perhaps because of their inability to make direct observations of the product. This highlights the critical importance of providing effective warnings online.

scholarly journals Marketing Up the Wrong Tree? Organisational Perspectives on Attracting and/or Retaining Older Adults in Sport

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Jenkin ◽  
Jannique G. Z. van Uffelen ◽  
Grant O'Sullivan ◽  
Jack Harvey ◽  
Rochelle M. Eime ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Major Barrier ◽  
Age Appropriate

Community sport is seen as a suitable setting for physical activity for different population groups. Older adults (aged 50+ years) are a rapidly growing population group. Physical activity is critical for healthy ageing, however sport participation rates for older adults are very low. The aim of this study was to investigate how sporting organisations perceive sport for older adults. This cross-sectional study surveyed 171 representatives from Australian National and State Sporting Organisations. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the results and the three sporting organisation categories' (high, medium, and low participation) responses were compared using non-parametric statistics. Contextualised in the perspective of organisational change, a framework for marketing to the ageing consumer was used to interpret the results. Older adults are not a high priority group for most sporting organisations, however the benefits of engaging older adults were recognised, particularly in context of increasing participation numbers. A lack of age-appropriate programmes was perceived to be a major barrier of engaging older adults. This lack of programmes stems from older adults being deemed as a less attractive segment than other age groups for sporting organisations. Modifications that sports felt they could make to attract and/or retain older adults included specific marketing and age appropriate opportunities. There was widespread consensus across sporting organisations, suggesting that perceptions of older adult sport participation were comparable across the sector, such as increasing participation numbers and engaging their older fan base. In the context of attracting, and retaining, older adults in sport clubs, it was concluded that most sporting organisations are not (yet) ready to build “age friendly” sporting environments. There is very limited literature on the organisational perspective of older adults and sport, meaning this study is unique in the field. Although sport policy encourages organisations to grow their participation, most organisations do not actively and strategically engage older adults. This research provides an understanding of why this untapped market is not a priority target and provides comprehensive insights for policy makers to better engage with this population group.

The Human Right to Health and Access to Essential Medicines

2020 ◽  
pp. 13-35
Author(s):  
Nicole Hassoun
Keyword(s):  
Good Life ◽  
Right To Health ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Basic Equality ◽  
Access To Essential Medicines ◽  
The Right ◽  
Complete Account

Living with untreated AIDS is devastating. Patients often suffer from terrible lesions, pneumonia, and nausea; become emaciated; have seizures; and eventually die. The first chapter argues that there should be an enforceable legal human right to health that includes a right to access essential medicines to treat diseases like AIDS. The chapter does not provide a complete account of the right’s basis; the right may also have to protect our basic equality and dignity, for instance. Nevertheless, it argues that health is necessary for, and partly constitutive of, a minimally good life. Lack of access to essential medicines characteristically undermines individuals’ ability to live such lives. So people should have a human right to health that grounds rights to access essential medicines.

Older Adults Driving Under the Influence: Associations With Marijuana Use, Marijuana Use Disorder, and Risk Perceptions

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 1687-1707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Namkee G. Choi ◽  
Diana M. DiNitto ◽  
C. Nathan Marti
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Marijuana Use ◽  
Driving Under The Influence ◽  
Safe Driving ◽  
Marijuana Abuse ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
Other Substances ◽  
Age Appropriate

Despite increasing marijuana use among the 50+ age group, little research has been done on marijuana’s impact on older adults’ driving under the influence (DUI). Using the 2013 to 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data, this study examined the association of older adults’ self-reported DUI with marijuana use, marijuana abuse/dependence, and marijuana risk perception. The findings show that one third of past-year marijuana users aged 50+ reported past-year DUI, two thirds of which involved drugs. Those with marijuana abuse/dependence were 2.6 times more likely than those without the disorder to report DUI, controlling for alcohol abuse/dependence, other illicit drug use, and sociodemographic and health/mental health statuses. As safe driving is key to prolonging independence in late life, clinicians need to educate older adults about the risk of marijuana use, alone and with other substances, on their driving capacity and provide age-appropriate treatment for marijuana use disorder.

scholarly journals A Case Study of the Registration of Essential Medicines in the East African Community

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Karl Green ◽  
Petra Brhlikova ◽  
Moses Ocan ◽  
Allyson Pollock
Keyword(s):  
Essential Medicine ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
East African ◽  
Major Barrier ◽  
East African Community ◽  
National Drug ◽  
African Community ◽  
Improve Access ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Objective: To quantify the essential medicine status of registered medicines in the East African Community (EAC) for antimicrobial medicines and medicines for non-communicable diseases.Methods: The National Drug Registers (NDRs) of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda (February 2018) were compared with their respective national Essential Medicine Lists (EMLs) to determine the registration status of essential medicines as an indicator of their availability. The number of registered products was analysed for essential medicines and selected non-essential medicines. Findings: Many essential medicines in the EAC are not registered: Kenya 28% (175/632), Tanzania 50% (400/797), Uganda 40% (266/663). Approximately, only one-third of products on the NDRs are essential medicines: Kenya (29%), Tanzania (36%), and Uganda (42%). 23% to 42% of registered essential medicines only have 1 or 2 products. 42 medicines accounted for over 4100 medical products, half of which were non-essential products. Conclusions: This novel analysis provides insight into how registration of medicines is likely to a be a major barrier to accessing essential medicines. The under registration of essential medicines and the over registration of non-essential medicines demonstrates a mismatch between the market of medicines being produced and registered and the health needs of the East African Community. Joint regional medicine authorisation programs such as the EAC Medicines Registration Harmonization Project have potential to improve access to key medicines if essential medicines are prioritised.

scholarly journals Commonwealth Caribbean Disability Access Policies: Access to Educational Institutions and Libraries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulette Stewart ◽  
Mark-Jeffery Dean
Keyword(s):  
Document Analysis ◽  
Disabled Persons ◽  
Equal Access ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Access To Education ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Disabled Students ◽  
Caribbean Country ◽  
Commonwealth Caribbean ◽  
Access Policies

Disability Acts are aimed at providing disabled students with both physical and intellectual access to education. The research takes into account UNESCO’s mission and Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) that education as a fundamental human right lies at the heart of equal access. The document analysis approach was used to select six Caribbean countries’ disability Acts to examine the kind of access indicated for educational institutions and libraries. The roles of the stakeholders who are expected to implement the Acts were also examined. Additionally, document analysis was used to determine if what was seen in these Acts were actually being implemented. The disability Acts selected were those from a Commonwealth Caribbean country that developed national policies or acts on disability and that the Acts had specific articles on access to education for disabled persons. It was discovered that the clauses with regards to access and stakeholders’ role in implementing the Acts were very limited. There is also a significant gap between what is written in the Acts and what is actually taking place. One recommendation that was suggested was that each country treat their Act as a priority as equal access is a human right as emphasized by UNESCO.

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