ArticleJAC-antimicrobial resistance2024
To assess the availability of antibiotics for online sale and comparison of e-pharmacies on key characteristics influencing safe and rational use of antibiotics: an exploratory analysis.
Article in JAC-antimicrobial resistance, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Growing antimicrobial resistance represents serious public health threat. With the increasing presence of online/e-pharmacies in India, public access to medicines has increased. Easy access coupled with lack of adequate and authentic drug information can undermine rational antibiotic use. Objectives: The present study aimed at exploring the availability of antibiotics for online sale and comparing the e-pharmacies on key characteristics influencing safe and rational use of antibiotics. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 3 months using the websites of 10 popular e-pharmacies in India. Availability of antibiotics for online sale was assessed in context of the National List of Essential Medicines, 2022 and WHO-AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) categories. Three separate questionnaires were developed to extract and compare relevant information from e-pharmacies pertaining to their safety and authenticity (in light of the expected standards laid down in draft e-pharmacy rules, 2018), availability of drug product and consumer awareness information for promoting prudent antibiotic use. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: Out of the 17 antibiotics studied; antibiotics belonging to all WHO-AWaRe categories i.e. Access (83.33%), Watch (88.33%) and Reserve (78%) groups were available through e-pharmacies. Wide variation exists among the e-pharmacies regarding compliance to studied parameters under three questionnaires. Conclusions: Increased access to Watch and Reserve groups of antibiotics can translate into antibiotic misuse. It is therefore crucial that the regulatory gaps concerning e-pharmacies are addressed urgently and consumers are educated regarding safe and rational use of antibiotics.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.