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Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice Research
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Special Issue "Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice Research"

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2020.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar
Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
Interests: access to medicines; pharmaceutical policy; pharmacy practice; global health; medicine pricing; medicines safety; pharmaceutical system strengtheing in low and middle income countries
Dr. Rabia Hussain

Guest Editor
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor, Malaysia
Interests: pharmacy practice; medicines safety; pharmaceutical policy; pharmaceutical health services research

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Medicines expenditure constitutes 60-80%, of healthcare budget in low and middle-income countries, while they are 10-25% in the high income developed countries. This makes it one of the most attractive fields to study and to provide evidence-based solutions with regards to "access" and "use" of medicines.

Medicines' role is also vital to alleviate suffering and to improve patient health outcomes, however, one-third of the world's population still lacks access to essential medicines. This series would focus on pertinent issues on pharmaceutical policy and practice including "access and affordability of medicines". "medicines funding and reimbursement", "generic medicines", "medicines safety", "Medicines pricing" "access to high-cost medicines" and "biosimilar".

This series would also shed light on the role of pharmacists in the "broader health sphere" and would analyse the "impact of pharmacy services" on "patient health outcomes".

Prof. Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar
Dr. Rabia Hussain
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • access and affordability of medicines
  • medicines funding and reimbursement
  • generic medicines
  • medicines safety
  • Medicines pricing
  • access to high-cost medicines
  • biosimilar
  • Impact of pharmacy services

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Open AccessArticle
Pharmacy Services beyond the Basics: A Qualitative Study to Explore Perspectives of Pharmacists towards Basic and Enhanced Pharmacy Services in Pakistan
by Muhammad Atif , Wajiha Razzaq , Irem Mushtaq , Iram Malik , Madiha Razzaq , Shane Scahill and Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(7), 2379; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072379 - 31 Mar 2020
Abstract
Enhanced pharmacy services have been identified as a mechanism to address medicines and drug-related problems. The aim of the study was to explore the perspectives of practicing pharmacists on the scope of pharmacy service provision in Pakistan. This qualitative study was conducted at [...] Read more.
Enhanced pharmacy services have been identified as a mechanism to address medicines and drug-related problems. The aim of the study was to explore the perspectives of practicing pharmacists on the scope of pharmacy service provision in Pakistan. This qualitative study was conducted at the Department of Pharmacy, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB). Face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with practicing pharmacists at the university who were undertaking postgraduate studies. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. A total of 13 pharmacists were interviewed. The analysis of data yielded four themes and 12 subthemes. The themes included the current scenario of pharmacy services, the benefits of pharmacy services, barriers to implementation of pharmacy services, and strategies to improve their delivery. Pharmacist participants reported that patient-oriented pharmacy services have not been properly implemented in Pakistan. Pharmacists appear to be undertaking only conventional roles at various levels within the healthcare system. The participants indicated multiple benefits of patient-oriented pharmacy services, including safe and effective use of medicines, minimization of drug-related problems, and financial benefits to the healthcare system. Based on the findings, policy-makers are required to take the necessary steps to overcome pharmacist-related and policy-related barriers associated with the implementation of patient-oriented pharmacy services in Pakistan. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice Research)
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Open AccessArticle
Physicians’ Understanding and Practices of Pharmacovigilance: Qualitative Experience from a Lower Middle-Income Country
by Rabia Hussain , Mohamed Azmi Hassali , Anees ur Rehman , Jaya Muneswarao and Furqan Hashmi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(7), 2209; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072209 - 25 Mar 2020
Abstract
Developed countries have established pharmacovigilance systems to monitor the safety of medicines. However, in the developing world, drug monitoring and reporting are facing enormous challenges. The current study was designed to explore the challenges related to the understanding and practices of physicians in [...] Read more.
Developed countries have established pharmacovigilance systems to monitor the safety of medicines. However, in the developing world, drug monitoring and reporting are facing enormous challenges. The current study was designed to explore the challenges related to the understanding and practices of physicians in reporting adverse drug reactions in Lahore, Pakistan. Through the purposive sampling technique, 13 physicians were interviewed. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for a thematic content analysis. The thematic content analysis yielded six major themes: (1) Familiarity with medication safety and adverse drug reaction (ADR) concept, (2) Knowledge about pharmacovigilance activities, (3) Practices related to ADR reporting, (4) Barriers impeding ADR reporting, (5) Acknowledgement of the pharmacist’s role, and (6) System change needs. The majority of the physicians were unaware of the ADR reporting system; however, they were ready to accept practice changes if provided with the required skills and training. A lack of knowledge, time, and interest, a fear of legal liability, poor training, inadequate physicians’ and other healthcare professionals’ communication, and most importantly lack of a proper reporting system were reported as barriers. The findings based on emerging themes can be used to establish an effective pharmacovigilance system in Pakistan. Overall, physicians reported a positive attitude towards practice changes, provided the concerned authorities support and take interest in this poorly acknowledged but most needed component of the healthcare system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice Research)
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Open AccessArticle
Affordability Assessment from a Static to Dynamic Concept: A Scenario-Based Assessment of Cardiovascular Medicines
by Leila Zarei , Iman Karimzadeh , Najmeh Moradi , Payam Peymani , Sara Asadi and Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(5), 1710; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051710 - 05 Mar 2020
Abstract
The out-of-pocket payments for prescription medications can impose a financial burden on patients from low- and middle- incomes and who suffer from chronic diseases. The present study aims at evaluating the affordability of cardiovascular disease (CVD) medication in Iran. This includes measuring affordability [...] Read more.
The out-of-pocket payments for prescription medications can impose a financial burden on patients from low- and middle- incomes and who suffer from chronic diseases. The present study aims at evaluating the affordability of cardiovascular disease (CVD) medication in Iran. This includes measuring affordability through World Health Organization/Health Action International (WHO/HAI) methodology. In this method, affordability is characterized as the number of days’ wages of the lowest-paid unskilled government worker. The different medication therapy scenarios are defined in mono-and combination therapy approaches. This method adds on to WHO/HAI methodology to discover new approaches to affordability assessments. The results show the differences in the medicines affordability when different approaches are used in mono-and combination therapy between 6 main sub-therapeutic groups of CVD. It indicates the medicine affordability is not a static concept and it changes dynamically between CVD therapeutic subgroups when it used alone or in combination with other medicines regarding patients’ characteristics and medical conditions. Hypertension and anti-arrhythmia therapeutic groups had the most non-affordability and hyperlipidemia had the most affordable medicines. Therefore, affordability can be considered as a dynamic concept, which not only affected by the medicine price but significantly affected by a patient’s characteristics, the number of medical conditions, and insurance coverage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice Research)
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