Sorato MM, Davari M, Kebriaeezadeh A. Improving access to medicines to reduce marketing and use of substandard and falsified medicines in Africa: Scoping review.
THE JOURNAL OF MEDICINE ACCESS 2024;
8:27550834241236598. [PMID:
38476401 PMCID:
PMC10929061 DOI:
10.1177/27550834241236598]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Background
Both constrained access to essential medicines and combatting marketing of substandard and falsified (SF) medicines are unmet health sector goals in Africa.
Objective
To answer the question of how improved access can reduce the continuous surge of SF medicines in Africa.
Design
We conducted a scoping review based on standard protocol.
Methods
We searched articles published in the English language from PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar by using a systematic search query.
Results
Seventy-one articles were included in this review. Access to quality essential medicines is still a major problem in developing countries in Africa and will continue as a threat for the next decade of health care. Ensuring access to quality medicines and preventing SF medicines in Africa need a systematic approach to address their underlying causes. Failure to ensure access to medicines is the major reason for the availability of SF medicines. Improving access to quality medicines can reduce SF medicine marketing and use. Manipulating the entire supply chain for efficiency, avoiding trade agreements that could reduce access, using compulsory licensing provisions, and pharmaceutical price control, providing incentives for drug development, and promoting rational use of medicines can improve access.
Conclusion
Ensuring access to medicines and preventing SF medicine marketing cannot be achieved in the planned period in developing countries in Africa unless a comprehensive strategy is used. Improving access to quality medicines can reduce SF medicine marketing and use, that is, ensuring access through uninterrupted supply, improved efficiency, enhanced local production, preventing SF medicine entry, improved medication use system, and improved affordability. Therefore, it is essential to improve supply chain capability, address challenges of the supply chain, improve leadership and governance, establish country-specific anti-counterfeiting and anti-substandardization committees, and collaborate with all relevant stakeholders.
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