Investigating the prevalence, knowledge and regulations regarding counterfeit medicines.

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to investigate and quantify the prevalence, knowledge and regulations regarding counter medicines. Using various methods and analytical tools to aid in this investigation. The problem of counterfeits is an ever-growing issue, especially with regards to the increase of production and sales of counterfeits. These medicines show to have an increasing health risk to the public. Everyone is at risk. On record 50% of products sold are counterfeits and 30% of those are counterfeit medicines. The information that is widely known about counterfeit medicines is that they pose public health risks and how the chemical composition is a key to determining them. What is not widely known is the connection throughout the supply chain, from manufacturer to the individuals that are at risk. The data used for this research includes; product data consisting of tablet, powders and mixture forms, individual opinions collected via questionnaire, background research about counterfeit medicines, specifically the directives used in place as a preventive measure and lastly the data collection for characteristics of online pharmacies. The instrumentation used for the FT-NIR determination of counterfeit pharmaceuticals was made on the PerkinElmer Spectrum Two N Fourier-Transform Near Infrared Spectrometer. The data sets were processed via the use of standard normal variant second derivative spectra (SNV-D2). The identification of the counterfeit medicines was a success along with identifying partial trends to how the public perceives self-prescription and their opinions of counterfeit medicines. Strengths and limitations regarding the new directives were also identified leading to possible adaptations to fortify the prevention of counterfeits being supplied in the future. It is hoped that this research will inform practitioners about the management practices for preventing counterfeit medicines from entering the supply chain and endangering the public’s health.