Evaluation of community pharmacists’ readiness to implement the Falsified Medicines Directive (Directive 2011/62/EC): an English cross-sectional survey with geospatial analysis

ObjectivesTo evaluate the readiness to implement the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) by community pharmacies in England. Eight secondary objectives were assessed.SettingCommunity/retail pharmacies.ParticipantsWe invited pharmacists from 501 pharmacies to complete a survey. Non-contractors, non-p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ open 2020-01, Vol.10 (1), p.e033405-e033405
Main Author: Barrett, Ravina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel
Community Pharmacy Services - organization & administration
Counterfeit Drugs - pharmacology
Counterfeiting
Cross-Sectional Studies
Drug stores
England
Erectile dysfunction
Female
General practice / Family practice
Health disparities
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Promotion - organization & administration
Humans
Male
Objectives
Pharmacists - statistics & numerical data
Population
Professional Role
Public health
Questionnaires
Regulatory agencies
Researchers
Retrospective Studies
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Summary:ObjectivesTo evaluate the readiness to implement the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) by community pharmacies in England. Eight secondary objectives were assessed.SettingCommunity/retail pharmacies.ParticipantsWe invited pharmacists from 501 pharmacies to complete a survey. Non-contractors, non-pharmacists or pharmacists practising abroad were excluded. We randomly selected addresses, ensuring that they were nationally representative.InterventionsWe mailed the survey in October 2018 with a single follow-up in January 2019. Respondents were invited to provide self-reported answers. A prepaid self-addressed envelope was provided. We received favourable ethical approval.Results102 responses (20.44% response rate) were received. Readiness to implement was poor: 4 (3.9%) said very much, while 40 (39.2%) said not at all and 29 (28.4%) said not really. Increased workload and reduced profitability were anticipated, accompanied with improved patient safety. Prevalence of ‘substandard and falsified (SF) medical products’ was estimated at 1%–5%, with erectile dysfunction at greatest risk of falsification. Different packaging would raise suspicions. Five (4.9%) had identified SFs (p
ISSN:2044-6055
2044-6055
DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033405