ReviewJournal of pharmaceutical policy and practice2020
Tackling the blind spot of poor-quality medicines in Universal Health Coverage.
Review in Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed.
- Supply chain management of health commodities and essential drug procurement systems at Sankhuwasabha and Kavrepalanchowk districts of federal Nepal.Journal of public health research · 2026Article
- Visual assessment of antimicrobial medicine packaging and labeling quality in pharmacies of Ho Municipality, Ghana.PloS one · 2026Article
- Knowledge, attitudes and practices on substandard and falsified medicines for human and animal use in Wakiso district, Uganda.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2025Article
- Understanding the regulatory-procurement interface for medicines in Africa via publicly available information on standards, implementation, and enforcement in five countries.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2025Article
- Shaping the future of global access to safe, effective, appropriate and quality health products.BMJ global health · 2024Article
- Procurement process and shortages of essential medicines in public health facilities: A qualitative study from Nepal.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- National Quality Policy and Strategy of the Health Services in Health Systems of Developing Countries: A Scoping Review.International journal of preventive medicine · 2024Article
- Challenges of Antibiotic Formulations and Administration in the Treatment of Bloodstream Infections in Children Under Five Admitted to Kisantu Hospital, Democratic Republic of Congo.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023Article
- Uncertainties about the quality of medical products globally: lessons from multidisciplinary research.BMJ global health · 2023Article
- Temperature variations in pharmaceutical storage facilities and knowledge, attitudes, and practices of personnel on proper storage conditions for medicines in southern Malawi.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Article
- The capacity of young national medicine regulatory authorities to ensure the quality of medicines: case of Rwanda.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2022Article
- Article
- The quality of veterinary medicines and their implications for One Health.BMJ global health · 2022Article
- Revisiting the issue of access to medicines in Africa: Challenges and recommendations.Public health challenges · 2022Review
- How the concept of WHO-listed authorities will change international procurement policies for medicines.BMJ global health · 2022Article
- Burden of and factors associated with poor quality antibiotic, antimalarial, antihypertensive and antidiabetic medicines in Malawi.PloS one · 2022Article
- Critical Factors and Economic Methods for Regulatory Impact Assessment in the Medical Device Industry.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2022Review
- Challenges in maintaining medicine quality while aiming for universal health coverage: a qualitative analysis from Indonesia.BMJ global health · 2021Article
- The importance of visual inspection in national quality assurance systems for medicines.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUniversal Health Coverage (UHC) is challenged by the prevalence of poor-quality medicines, those that either do not meet required specifications (substandard) or are outrightly fraudulent (falsified), especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, LMICs. Whereas poor-quality medicines are a significant burden in these countries, medicine quality still remains a neglected component of UHC programs. This article describes key barriers to quality medicines and presents five select approaches leveraging the scale-up of UHC for medicine quality assurance. MAIN BODY: Barriers to medicine quality assurance, while numerous, are described in five key inter-related domains as: low political priority, weak regulatory systems capacity, poor access to accredited facilities and licensed outlets, medicine manufacturing and other supply-chain challenges, and lack of public awareness. Five select approaches for leveraging the scale-up of UHC for medicine quality assurance in LMICs are (1): political commitment (2) strengthening the capacity of regulatory authorities and investment in detection technologies as part of national security (3); licensing of medicines outlets and expanding pharmacovigilance (4); strengthening the supply-chain; and (5) public awareness and participation.
conclusionsUnchecked, poor-quality medicines can jeopardize UHC. National governments in LMICs need to prioritize medicine quality assurance through enforcing policies, regulatory strengthening and investments in technologies. Healthcare facilities and insurance schemes under UHC also play critical roles through incorporating medicine quality assurance into procurement practices and by promoting awareness among beneficiaries. Tackling medicine quality with a committed systems approach will enhance progress towards UHC implementation.
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