FROM THE HISTORY OF DRUGS: OLEUM JECORIS ASELLI, A LONG TIME USED REMEDY

Abstract Since ancient times, fish oil (Oleum Jecoris Aselli, Cod Liver Oil, Oleum morrhuae) has been used in Northern peoples' diet. At the end of 18 th century, it began to be used as a remedy, the physician Thomas Percival indicating it in chronic rheumatism and women's bone demineralization treatment. Later, the indications for this product were extended to other diseases such as tuberculosis, rickets, scrofula, psoriasis and keratosis. Chemical studies, undertaken simultaneously with the development of clinical use, have established the correlation between composition and therapeutic indications. The remedy was used as it is, both externally and internally, but because its unpleasant smell and taste, oral administration was difficult. To overcome this disadvantage, various formulations, particularly emulsions, were prepared. Oleum Jecoris Aselli is used even today, a Cod Liver Oil monograph appearing both in the European Pharmacopoeia 8.0 and the USP 35. The product has been used in Romanian Principalities, evidence in this regard being the reference to it in the Pharmacopoeias, in copy registers, in specialized periodicals such as the "Journal of Pharmacy" and on storage vessels labels. Rezumat Încă din timpuri ancestrale, uleiul de peşte (Oleum jecoris aselli, Cod Liver Oil, Oleum morrhuae) era prezent în dieta popoarelor nordice. La sfârşitul secolului al XVIII-lea a început să fie folosit şi ca remediu, medicul Thomas Percival menţionând utilizarea sa în tratarea reumatismului cronic şi a demineralizării osoase la femei. Ulterior indicaţiile acestui produs s-au extins şi asupra altor afecţiuni: tuberculoză, rahitism, psoriazis, keratoze. Studiile chimice întreprinse în paralel cu dezvoltarea utilizării clinice au stabilit corelaţia între compoziţia sa şi indicaţiile terapeutice. Remediul se folosea ca atare, atât extern cât şi intern, însă din cauza mirosului şi gustului neplăcut, administrarea orală era dificilă. Pentru remedierea acestui dezavantaj se recurgea la prepararea unor forme farmaceutice, în special emulsii. Oleum jecoris aselli continuă să se folosească şi în prezent, monografia Cod Liver Oil figurând atât în European Pharmacopoeia 8.0 cât şi în USP 35. Produsul era utilizat şi în Principatele Române, dovezi în acest sens fiind menţionarea sa în Farmacopei, în registrele de copiere a reţetelor, în periodicul de specialitate "Revista Farmaciei" şi pe etichetele vaselor de păstrare

Approved and Commercialized Antidiabetic Medicines (Excluding Insulin) in Seven European Countries—A Cross-Sectional Comparison

Diabetes mellitus is a complex, multifactorial, progressive condition with a variety of approved therapeutic options. The purpose of this study was to offer an overview of the authorized antidiabetic medicines (excluding insulin) compared with marketed products in seven European countries. Data were obtained from primary sources, including the websites of national authorities and directly from specialists in the countries of interest. The range of marketed medicines compared with the authorized group was assessed in terms of active pharmaceutical ingredients (>60% in Bulgaria, France, Serbia), brand names (>70% in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Spain), pharmaceutical forms (>60% in all countries), strengths (>60% in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Spain), marketing authorization holder (≥50% in all countries) and the status of medicine. Spain was found to have the highest number of products based on most of these attributes. Over 90% of authorized medicines had a pharmacy price in Serbia. Regarding the newer class of GLP-1 receptor agonists, a retail price for all approved substances was available in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and Spain. Only one brand name with one concentration was found available for some agents, being susceptible to drug shortages: glibenclamide (Romania, Serbia, Spain), glipizide (the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Spain), glisentide (Spain), acarbose (the Czech Republic), sitagliptin (Bulgaria, Poland), vildagliptin (the Czech Republic, Poland) and saxagliptin (the Czech Republic, France, Romania, Serbia). An overview of the national and international therapeutic options may allow competent authorities and health professionals to take rapid measures in case of supply problems or health crises

Association between culture and the preference for, and perceptions of, 11 routes of medicine administration: A survey in 21 countries and regions

Medicines can be taken by various routes of administration. These can impact the effects and perceptions of medicines. The literature about individuals' preferences for and perceptions of the different routes of administration is sparse, but indicates a potential influence of culture. Our aim was to determine: (i) any association between one's culture and one's preferred route of medicine administration and (ii) individual perceptions of pain, efficacy, speed of action and acceptability when medicines are swallowed or placed in the mouth, under the tongue, in the nose, eye, ear, lungs, rectum, vagina, on the skin, or areinjected. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey of adults was conducted in 21 countries and regions of the world, namely, Tunisia, Ghana, Nigeria, Turkey, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Malta, Brazil, Great Britain, United States, India, Serbia, Romania, Portugal, France, Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, mainland China and Estonia, using the Inglehart–Welzel cultural map to ensure coverage across all cultures. Participants scored the pain/discomfort, efficacy, speed of onset and acceptability of the different routes of medicine administration and stated their preferred route. Demographic information was collected. A total of 4435 participants took part in the survey. Overall, the oral route was the most preferred route, followed by injection, while the rectal route was the least preferred. While the oral route was the most preferred in all cultures, the percentage of participants selecting this route varied, from 98% in Protestant Europe to 50% in the African-Islamic culture. A multinomial logistic regression model revealed a number of predictors for the preferred route. Injections were favoured in the Baltic, South Asia, Latin America and African-Islamic cultures while dermal administration was favoured in Catholic Europe, Baltic and Latin America cultures. A marked association was found between culture and the preference for, and perceptions of the different routes by which medicines are taken. This applied to even the least favoured routes (vaginal and rectal). Only women were asked about the vaginal route, and our data shows that the vaginal route was slightly more popular than the rectal one

Association between culture and the preference for, and perceptions of, 11 routes of medicine administration : a survey in 21 countries and regions

Medicines can be taken by various routes of administration. These can impact the effects and perceptions of medicines. The literature about individuals’ preferences for and perceptions of the different routes of administration is sparse, but indicates a potential influence of culture. Our aim was to determine: (i) any association between one’s culture and one’s preferred route of medicine administration and (ii) individual perceptions of pain, efficacy, speed of action and acceptability when medicines are swallowed or placed in the mouth, under the tongue, in the nose, eye, ear, lungs, rectum, vagina, on the skin, or areinjected. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey of adults was conducted in 21 countries and regions of the world, namely, Tunisia, Ghana, Nigeria, Turkey, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Malta, Brazil, Great Britain, United States, India, Serbia, Romania, Portugal, France, Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, mainland China and Estonia, using the Inglehart–Welzel cultural map to ensure coverage across all cultures. Participants scored the pain/discomfort, efficacy, speed of onset and acceptability of the different routes of medicine administration and stated their preferred route. Demographic information was collected. A total of 4435 participants took part in the survey. Overall, the oral route was the most preferred route, followed by injection, while the rectal route was the least preferred. While the oral route was the most preferred in all cultures, the percentage of participants selecting this route varied, from 98% in Protestant Europe to 50% in the African-Islamic culture. A multinomial logistic regression model revealed a number of predictors for the preferred route. Injections were favoured in the Baltic, South Asia, Latin America and African-Islamic cultures while dermal administration was favoured in Catholic Europe, Baltic and Latin America cultures. A marked association was found between culture and the preference for, and perceptions of the different routes by which medicines are taken. This applied to even the least favoured routes (vaginal and rectal). Only women were asked about the vaginal route, and our data shows that the vaginal route was slightly more popular than the rectal one.peer-reviewe