Pharmacist awareness and views towards counterfeit medicine in Lebanon

Background:  Pharmacists, as healthcare professionals, have patients’ well-being and safety as their primary concern. However, the safety and efficacy of treatments may be compromised by the availability of counterfeit medicine (CFM) which could have serious consequences for public health. Objectives: To assess pharmacist awareness and views towards CFM in Lebanon. Methods: The study used convenience sampling and selected pharmacists based on their willingness to participate and used a questionnaire as a tool to determine their experiences and views towards CFM. The questionnaires were completed in different regions in Lebanon. Key findings: A total of 223 pharmacists participated in the study, and all were able to define CFM, however were inconsistent in their definitions. The majority reported identifying CFM by the medicine’s effect (67.7%), followed by cost (66.8%). Almost 43% reported knowing of pharmacists who dispensed CFM. Additionally, participants reported that they believed that pharmacists who dealt with CFM were unprofessional (89.2%) and unethical (86.5%), and that they did it for the ‘easy money’ (87.9%) and large profit (86.5%). Conclusion: The study highlighted the need for additional CFM awarenesscampaigns with an emphasis on the role that pharmacists have in protecting patients from using CFM. In addition, there is a need for an official CFM definition that distinguishes between the different types of counterfeiting. Furthermore, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health and regulatory authorities should control and secure the supply chain of medicine in the country and enforce the law

Public and pharmacist perceptions towards counterfeit medicine in Lebanon using focus groups

Counterfeit medicine is a product that is deliberately and fraudulentlymislabelled with respect to identity or source. The international concern is the risk counterfeits pose for public health. To date, there are no published studies on public and pharmacist perceptions towards counterfeit medicine in Lebanon. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore participants’ experiences, views and beliefs regarding counterfeit medicine by employing the mixed methods methodology.Methods: The study used four focus groups. The two public focus groups were recruited using the convenience sampling method from two schools in Mount Lebanon. The two pharmacists’ focus groups were recruited by the snowball approach from different pharmacy settings. All participants were above 18 years old.Results: The public and pharmacist focus groups had a total of 24 and 13 participants respectively. Using thematic analysis, themes and subthemes emerged from the discussions, and the common themes between the public and pharmacists were; awareness, trust, corruption and overcoming counterfeit medicine.Conclusions: The findings showed the perceived risk counterfeit medicine pose to individuals and public health. According to focus group participants, the situation is serious and requires more attention from the Ministry of Public Health and Order of Pharmacists. Therefore, the need is to establish strict control on medicine; implement and enforce the law; reactivate the central laboratory; create a counterfeit medicine reporting system, and develop continuous educational programs

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