by
Finbarr Sheehy
| Oct 26, 2020
In Nigeria, the term counterfeit drug refers to drugs that have outlived their shelf life, mislabeled drugs, drugs kept under inappropriate temperatures, and drugs produced under unfavorable conditions. The supply of counterfeit drugs is an issue of great concern for the government, regulatory bodies, and industry professionals in Nigeria. Though policies and guidelines exist to control the supply, a significant amount of operating results have not been achieved yet. In Nigeria, the drug supply system needs to be carefully managed to safeguard the flow of genuine drugs throughout the supply chain.
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Objectives:
The purpose of this dissertation is to achieve these objectives;
1. To study the pharmaceutical distribution system in Nigeria and the drivers that aid the infiltration of counterfeit drugs.
2. To evaluate the challenges faced with implementing Pharmaceutical Distribution laws in Nigeria, and to assess the challenges posed by the open market which facilitate the distribution of counterfeit drugs.
3. To look at supply chain reforms and recommend improvements that can facilitate control measures to minimize the distribution of counterfeit drugs in Nigeria.
Methodology:
The methodology applied in this research was a pragmatic philosophy, the researcher applied a mixed-method approach considering the two types of participants involved in the study. The data collection was a combination of online distributed questionnaires and a semi-structured interview with industry stakeholders (distributors and pharmacists), which amounted to a total of 270 participants in total. The researcher uses both qualitative and quantitative approaches to understand the level of awareness of the consumers on the present technologies and also gain new insights and learn from the experience and perception of industry experts' response and also get new suggestions and recommendations.
Findings:
From the data gathered, it was deduced that the presence of unskilled workers, and open market, are the drivers that aid the infiltration of counterfeit drugs. It can further be extracted that, the poor implementation of laws is a result of greed and corruption on the part of the regulatory bodies. Some of the challenges the open market pose are during the out of stock period, a lot of counterfeit drugs are produced and supplied to unsuspecting pharmacists and consumers. Hence the need to implement proper anti-counterfeit technologies is necessary. One of the reforms recommended is the need to facilitate awareness amongst consumers and for distributors to buy from the approved pharmaceutical supply chain. Finally as mentioned by two participants, border controls need to be enforced strictly to monitor the drugs coming into the country.
Analysis:
The ratio of females to males was 53% to 47%. The ratio of participants residing in rural areas to those in the urban was 11% to 89%. This section of the interview gave the researcher insight into the characteristics of people who responded to the survey. 80% of participants are aware of the MAS technology, but those who used it always or often where 8% and 7%. 58% of respondents admitted that the feature is friendly but 38% rated the response time 3 over 5 which can be interpreted as fair. This implies that the majority of participants are aware of the MAS feature but as seen from the response more awareness needs to be done on the need to use it.
Conclusions:
The loopholes in the pharmaceutical supply chain are the presence of the open market as highlighted by participants in the interview. Furthermore, these open markets which are as a result of greed and poverty are the catalyst that facilitates the distribution of counterfeit drugs. Corruption, poor implementation of laws, and the presence of unskilled individuals in the channel are factors that also facilitate the loophole in the pharmaceutical supply chain. As extracted from primary data the regulatory bodies need to be more strict on who they approve to operate a pharmacy, this will reduce the operation of the open markets and also the spread of counterfeit drugs. From the data gathered, one of the methods that can improve the control of counterfeit drugs is consumer awareness. The need for consumers to be aware of the drugs they purchase and where they purchase it from is important.