Time trends and regional variations in prices of anticancer medicines in China.

Introduction: High prices, as a main factor, contributed to the lack of adequate access to essential anticancer medicines, especially for patients in developing countries. The Chinese Government has introduced a series of policies to control the prices of medicines during the last decade, but the effect on anticancer medicine is not yet clear.

Methods: To evaluate the time trends and regional variation in the price of essential anticancer medicines in China, we used the procurement data of anticancer medicines from 2015 to 2022.

Time trends and regional variation in utilization of antidiabetic medicines in China, 2015-2022.

Aim: To assess the use of non-insulin antidiabetic medicines in China.

Materials And Methods: We analysed the national procurement data for 29 non-insulin antidiabetic medicines from nine subgroups in China from 2015 to 2022. We estimated the number of defined daily doses (DDDs) procured per year in seven regions of China for nine subgroups and adjusted the data by the number of patients with diabetes.

Dispensing of antibiotics for tuberculosis patients using standardized patient approach at community pharmacies: results from a cross-sectional study in Pakistan.

Background: Pakistan is among top countries for antibiotic consumption around the globe and patients often receive antibiotics directly from community pharmacies. Thus, our aim was to assess the drug dispensing practices of pharmacies for presumed and confirmed tuberculosis by using standardized patients' method in Pakistan.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we adopted two standardized patient cases in pharmacies of three cities of Punjab.

The impact of drug shortages on drug prices: evidence from China.

Introduction: Drug shortages pose a serious global public health challenge, affecting China and other countries. Evidence from USA shows that short-supplied drugs demonstrated a very high price growth during and after a shortage. However, the effect of shortages on drug prices in China remains unknown.

Medicinal use of cannabis: A qualitative study of the perspectives of doctors and pharmacists from six African countries.

We conducted a qualitative study to examine the enablers and barriers influencing the implementation of medical cannabis from the perspectives of practicing doctors and pharmacists within the African context. Interviews were conducted to investigate medical professionals' perceptions and concerns regarding medicinal cannabis. Three major themes were identified: beliefs about consequences, optimism, and environmental resources and context.

Pharmacists' approach to oncology medicine shortages: results of a cross-sectional survey in Pakistan.

Objectives: The study estimated the shortages of oncology medicines in Pakistan, their causes, impacts, mitigation strategies, and possible interventions.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Oncology pharmacists working at 43 oncology settings (out of 80) from five regions of Pakistan (four provinces (Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan) and one federal territory (Islamabad)) were approached.

The impacts of the national centralized drug procurement policy on the use of policy-related antibiotic agents: the case of Shaanxi province, China.

Objectives: The purpose of NCDP policy was to reduce the price of drugs. However, it is unclear that a reduction in the price of a single antibiotic will lead to an increase in other alternatives, which is crucial for antibiotic management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of policy on the consumption of policy-related antibiotic.

Evaluation of the effect of managing oxycodone/acetaminophen as a psychotropic medicine: An interrupted time-series study.

Oxycodone/acetaminophen has been reported for misuse for many times in China. To cope with that, Chinese national authorities jointly issued a policy, requiring that oxycodone/acetaminophen should be managed as a psychotropic medicine starting 1 September 2019. This paper aimed to evaluate the effect of this policy in medical institutions.

Anticancer medicines in Pakistan: An analysis of essential medicines lists.

Objective: The lack of anticancer drugs for curative and supportive purposes is the critical reason for the low survival rate in low-and-middle-income countries. This study aims to analyze whether the National Essential Medicines List (NEML) and Registered Essential Medicines List (REML) are in concordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) Essential Medicines List (EML) and whether the formularies prevalent in the country are parallel to each other and to the NEML.

Method: An observational study design was used in which antineoplastic drugs from the 2021 NEML and REML were compared with 2021 WHO EML to evaluate their availability in Pakistan.

Experience of Pharmacists with Anti-Cancer Medicine Shortages in Pakistan: Results of a Qualitative Study.

This study aimed to examine the current situation of anti-cancer drug shortages in Pakistan, namely its determinants, impacts, adopted mitigation strategies, and proposed solutions. Qualitative semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 pharmacists in oncology hospitals in Pakistan from August to October 2021. Data were collected in person and online, recorded, and subjected to inductive thematic analysis after being transcribed verbatim.

Procurement of medicines to treat cancer, 2015-2020, China.

Objective: To assess the procurement of medicines to treat cancer in China.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive analysis of the national procurement data for 20 anti-cancer medicines in China from 2015 to 2020. We estimated the number of defined daily doses procured per year in three areas of China for essential medicines and medicines for targeted therapies.

Current situation and future development of the biopharmaceutical industry in China: A mixed-method study.

The biomedical industry has grown significantly both globally and in China; however, there are still challenges. This study aimed at evaluating the biopharmaceutical sector of China, in terms of ability to innovate, current sales volume, investment, and R&D expenditure, as well as providing a case study detailing the progress and challenges of the industry in Shaanxi province. A cross-sectional mixed-method study design was used to generate a comprehensive profile of the nature of biopharmaceutical innovation capacity and development in China by triangulating country-wide survey and interview data from Shaanxi province.

Anti-cancer medicine shortages in an oncology tertiary hospital of Pakistan: A five-year retrospective study.

Objective: Anti-cancer medicine shortages are advancing challenges for patients and hospitals. This study aims to evaluate anti-cancer and supportive medicine shortages in a tertiary hospital in Pakistan and propose solutions.

Method: A retrospective observational research was performed in a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan from 2016 to 2020.

Access to Insulin Products in Pakistan: A National Scale Cross-Sectional Survey on Prices, Availability, and Affordability.

Diabetes is among the top ten most prevalent diseases in Pakistan, and the availability of medicines to treat the disease is vital for a great percentage of the country's population. Insulin was discovered a century ago; however, its access in several parts of the globe remains an issue. This study aims to evaluate prices, availability, and affordability (access components) of insulin and five comparator medicine access in Pakistan.

Impact of the Expert Consensus on Carbapenem Consumption Trends and Patterns in Public Healthcare Institutes: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis, 2017-2020.

Carbapenems are considered the last line of defence against bacterial infections, but their high consumption and the resulting antibacterial resistance are an increasing global concern. In this context, the Chinese health authority issued an expert consensus on the clinical applications of carbapenems. However, the long- and short-term effects of the expert consensus on carbapenem use are not clear.

Perceptions of pharmacists towards drug shortages in the healthcare system of Pakistan and its impact on patient care: findings from a cross-sectional survey.

Objective: This study aimed to explore pharmacists' perceptions on drug shortages and its impingement on the Pakistani healthcare system, in particular on patient care.

Design: Online questionnaire survey.

Setting And Participants: Hospital pharmacists from five out of seven regions of Pakistan were approached; including the federal territory (Islamabad) and four provinces (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh).

A Qualitative Study Exploring the Management of Medicine Shortages in the Community Pharmacy of Pakistan.

Managing medicine shortages consumes ample time of pharmacists worldwide. This study aimed to explore the strategies and resources being utilized by community pharmacists to tackle a typical shortage problem. Qualitative face-to-face interviews were conducted.

Drug Shortage: Causes, Impact, and Mitigation Strategies.

Drug shortage is a global issue affecting low, middle, and high-income countries. Many countries have developed various strategies to overcome the problem, while the problem is accelerating, affecting the whole world. All types of drugs, such as essential life-saving drugs, oncology medicines, antimicrobial drugs, analgesics, opioids, cardiovascular drugs, radiopharmaceutical, and parenteral products, are liable to the shortage.

Clinical Consumption of Compound Opioid Analgesics in China: A Retrospective Analysis of National Data 2015-2018.

Compound opioid analgesics (COA) are widely used for cancer pain relief, but few studies investigated the use of that. We aimed to report the characteristics and trend of COA consumption in different regions and health facilities in China. The procurement data of two types of COA, compound codeine phosphate (CCP) and oxycodone and acetaminophen (OAA), in all medical institutions of 20 provinces from 2015 to 2018 were used.

Patients' perception of the outpatient pharmaceutical service quality in hospital pharmacies with auditable pharmaceutical transactions and services in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To ensure the availability of quality pharmaceutical products and effective pharmaceutical services, a package of interventions named auditable pharmaceutical transactions and services (APTS), was implemented in the tertiary and secondary hospitals across Ethiopia since 2014. This study aimed to evaluate outpatients' perception of pharmaceutical service quality in hospitals with APTS in Ethiopia.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Clinical Study on Electronic Medical Neuroelectric Stimulation Based on the Internet of Things to Treat Epilepsy Patients with Anxiety and Depression.

With the continuous development and improvement of the level of medical technology in our country in recent years, the treatment of epilepsy has been constantly updated and developed. Nerve electrical stimulation is considered to be a very effective method for treating epilepsy with anxiety and depression. There are many traditional methods for the treatment of epilepsy.

Access to Essential Cardiovascular Medicines in Pakistan: A National Survey on the Availability, Price, and Affordability, Using WHO/HAI Methodology.

This national survey was aimed at measuring the access to cardiovascular disease (CVD) medicines in terms of their availability, price, and affordability in Pakistan. This was done by using the standard WHO/Health Action International (HAI) methodology. The price and availability data for 18 CVD medicines were collected from public sector hospitals (n = 40) and private sector retail pharmacies (n = 40) in eight cities of Pakistan.

Impact of the Low-Price Medicine Policy on Medicine Supply in China: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis.

The primary objective of the study was to assess the impact of the Low-Price Medicine Policy (LPMP) on the supply of low-price medicines (LPMs) in China. The secondary objective of the study was to describe the supply situation of LPMs from 2005 to 2018. The LPMP was launched in the third quarter of 2014 (2014Q3).