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Zeng J, Zhang J, Xie J, Hao C, Li J, Li L, Gu J. Association Between the Awareness of Antiretroviral Drugs-Related Services and Drug Accessibility During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Patients Undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy: A Cross-Sectional Study. AIDS Behav 2023; 27:891-900. [PMID: 36169780 PMCID: PMC9516505 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-022-03825-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In a cross-sectional survey from 21 February to 6 March, 2020, we analyzed the awareness and utilization of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs)-related services among people living with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic in Guangzhou, China. In addition, a subgroup analysis was performed among those who needed to go to hospital to access their drugs, and we explored the association between the awareness of ARVs-related services and the accessibility of ARVs. Of 375 participants, 89.9% were aware of drug-borrowing service, 90.7% were aware of drug-delivery service and 86.9% were aware of information-assistance service. Knowing about the drug-borrowing service or the information-assistance service, knowing about at least two services and knowing about all of the three services were all positively associated with ARVs accessibility. In addition, 35 (39.3%) of those who had acquired their drugs on time received them via the drug-delivery service. To some extent, the three ARVs-related services have alleviated the difficulties in accessing ARVs during the pandemic, especially the drug-delivery service.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zeng
- Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Jinzhao Xie
- Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Chun Hao
- Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong China ,Sun Yat-sen Global Health Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Jinghua Li
- Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong China ,Sun Yat-sen Global Health Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Linghua Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Jing Gu
- Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. .,Sun Yat-sen Global Health Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. .,School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 74, Zhongshan Road II, 510080, Guangzhou, China.
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Faiva E, Hashim HT, Ramadhan MA, Musa SK, Bchara J, Tuama YD, Adebisi YA, Kadhim MH, Essar MY, Ahmad S, Lucero-Prisno DE. Drug supply shortage in Nigeria during COVID-19: efforts and challenges. J Pharm Policy Pract 2021; 14:17. [PMID: 33482871 PMCID: PMC7820524 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-021-00302-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in massive disruptions in global supply chains. Nigeria is particularly vulnerable with respect to pharmaceuticals since there is reduced local production and about 70% of the drug supply is imported creating a huge supply-demand disparity particularly in times like COVID-19. Nigeria is in need of huge quantities of quality-assured health commodities to effectively respond to the pandemic. Significant shortages of other essential medicines and medical products across the country could be imminent. Drug scarcity in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic period is because of several accumulated factors, majorly as a result of global lockdown, decreased manufacturing, unaddressed regulatory affairs, poor access to resources by the population, lack of buffer stocks, security instability, and poor funding of the healthcare system. This situation if left unattended, could cause serious drawbacks to the health of the populace as well as the quality of life of Nigerians amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. Appropriate measures should be directed to ensure ethical processes on drug production, importation, pricing, and distribution to avoid such events during unavoidable scenarios, like the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Faiva
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
| | | | | | | | - John Bchara
- Faculty of Medicine, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria
| | | | | | | | - Mohammad Yasir Essar
- Medical Research Center, Kateb University, Kabul, Afghanistan
- Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | | | - Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Faculty of Management and Development Studies, University of the Philippines (Open University), Los Banos, Laguna Philippines
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