A Study on the Dispensing Pattern of Over the Counter Drugs in Retail Pharmacies in Sarjapur Area, East Bangalore

Model pharmacy has been adopted recently to upgrade the healthcare delivery system in Bangladesh. This study was aimed to analyze and compare the effectiveness of drug dispensing patterns, practices, and knowledge of both clients and dispensers of model pharmacies over traditional retail medicine shops. Two established methods, namely, client simulated method (CSM) and provider interview method (PIM), were employed to determine the practice differences in 90 retail medicine shops and 90 model pharmacies in and around Dhaka city. The results are represented primarily in comparison with corresponding percentages. The survey results did not fully support the findings obtained from the observations of the CSM as PIM contrasted these to some extent, and the differences are statistically significant ( p < 0.0001 ). According to CSM, the presence of A-grade pharmacists during working hours in retail medicine shops was 0%, and 63% in model pharmacies. As reported by PIM, in the retail medicine shops, 36% of clients were ignorant of visiting doctors before purchasing medicine. On the other hand, only 18% of clients could visit doctors. As per CSM, 40% of clients did not follow doctors' recommendations for completion of the full dose of antibiotics bought from retail medicine shops and 51% did not finish full antibiotic courses collected from model pharmacies. Additionally, CSM revealed that 28% of the clients administered leftover drugs following old and obsolete prescriptions of retail medicine shops and 21% of clients followed the same practices in terms of model pharmacies. The report of CSM revealed that 95% of dispensers of retail medicine shops sold medicine without prescription except over-the-counter (OTC), and in the model pharmacies, the percentage was 77%. The qualitative findings revealed substandard practices and dispensing pattern too. Model pharmacies were established to prevent aberrant medicine dispensing patterns and ensure proper medication dispensing practices and medicine intake. This research could not verify the situation that pharmacists or owners of model pharmacies were fully abiding by the guidelines set for them by the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA).

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A Study on the Dispensing Pattern of OTC Medications in Community Pharmacies: Generic versus Non-Generic drugs

International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.26452/ijrps.v11ispl4.4246 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (SPL4) ◽

pp. 1071-1079

Author(s):

Aditya R ◽

Ankitha P B ◽

Bemiya Benny ◽

Krithika Joy ◽

Navyashree G A

Keyword(s):

Generic Drugs ◽

Medical Practitioner ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Clinical History ◽

Unit Price ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

Over The Counter ◽

Patient Counselling ◽

Otc Drugs ◽

Dispensing Pattern

Over the Counter (OTC) Drugs are legally allowed to be sold 'Over the Counter' without the prescription of a registered medical practitioner (RMP). The study aimed to assess the drug dispensing pattern of the commonly dispensed category of OTC drugs, understand the patient's knowledge using a self-designed questionnaire and to compare the cost-effectiveness based on the unit price of drugs between generic and non-generic drugs. A prospective observational study was conducted from November 2018 to April 2019 in randomly selected licensed community pharmacies in Banashankari, Bengaluru (3 private pharmacies and 1 government-sponsored pharmacy). Data collected was documented and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Z test. 59.33% (non-generic) & 24.67% (generic) pharmacists had collected the clinical history before dispensing the drugs. Non-generic pharmacists (62.00%) provided adequate information about the dispensed drug than generic pharmacists (30.00%). The frequently dispensed OTC drugs were analgesics and antipyretics and commonly reported illness was a pain. Consumers had an opinion that the usage of OTC drugs was safe and was not aware of the side effects. Patient counselling was given to 82% of the consumers in generic and 43% in non-generic pharmacies regarding their health issue and medications. Generic drugs were more cost-effective than non-generic drugs.

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Acetaminophen: Neonatal hepatotoxicity due to late pregnancy exposure

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100127906 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 718-719

Author(s):

G.A. Miranda ◽

M.A. Arroyo ◽

C.A. Lucio ◽

M. Mongeotti ◽

S.S. Poolsawat

Keyword(s):

Low Dose ◽

Fetal Liver ◽

Late Pregnancy ◽

Toxic Chemicals ◽

Control Group ◽

High Dose ◽

Over The Counter ◽

Liver And Kidney ◽

Neonatal Liver ◽

Childbearing Women

Exposure to drugs and toxic chemicals, during late pregnancy, is a common occurrence in childbearing women. Some studies have reported that more than 90% of pregnant women use at least 1 prescription; of this, 60% used more than one. Another study indicated that 80% of the consumed drugs were not prescribed, and of this figure, 95% were “over-the-counter” drugs. Acetaminophen, the safest of all over-the-counter drugs, has been reported to induce fetal liver necrosis in man and animals and to have abortifacient and embryocidal action in mice. This study examines the degree to which acetaminophen affects the neonatal liver and kidney, when a fatty diet is simultaneously fed to the mother during late pregnancy.Timed Swiss Webster female mice were gavaged during late pregnancy (days 16-19) with fat suspended acetaminophen at a high dose, HD = 84.50 mg/kg, and a low dose, LD = 42.25 mg/kg; a control group received fat alone.

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