Parenteral medication prescriptions, dispensing and administration habits in Mongolia

An Epidemic of Pediatric HIV From Reuse of Infusion Equipment in Pakistan

BACKGROUND

From April to June 2019, a total of 909 new HIV infections were identified in Larkana, Pakistan; 86% was children younger than 15 years. To identify the possible transmission links in this outbreak, a case-control study was conducted in June 2019.

METHODS

For cases, we selected a systematic random sample of 100 HIV-positive children from the screening list. We chose 2 age-matched and sex-matched controls from the neighborhood of each HIV-positive case. All selected children were tested using the World Health Organization-approved rapid diagnosis test algorithm. We interviewed the parents of each selected child about previous exposures to parenteral treatment and compared exposures of case and control children using conditional logistic regression.

RESULTS

The ages of the selected children ranged from 1 month to 10 years. More than 90% of both HIV+ and HIV- children had received outpatient health care from MBBS-qualified private physicians. Eighty-three percent of HIV+ children versus 46% of HIV- children had received health care from one private physician [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 29, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 10 to 79]. Intravenous infusions during the last outpatient visit were reported by 29% of case versus 7% of controls (aOR 57, 95% CI: 2.9 to >1000), whereas no case children and 17% of control children had received only intramuscular injections (aOR 0, 95% CI: 0 to 41). Among cases, 94% had been given infusions through a drip set compared with 85% of control children (aOR = 7.7, 95% CI: 2.3 to 26). Infusions had been administered with reused IV drip sets in 70% of cases compared with 8% of controls (aOR = 197, 95% CI: 16 to 2400).

DISCUSSION

Private physicians reusing intravenous drip sets to treat outpatients seen in private practice were responsible for this HIV epidemic. Mapping and regulation of private practitioners were suggested.

Legislation and current developments in adverse drug reaction reporting in Mongolia: how far are we?

Monitoring adverse drug reactions is a vital issue to ensure drug safety and to protect the general public from medication-related harmful effects. In order to properly monitor drug safety, a regulatory system needs to be in place as well as an infrastructure that allows for analyzing national and international safety data. In Mongolia, adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting activities have been implemented in the past decade. During this period, the basic structure and legal basis of an adverse drug reaction monitoring system was established. Because of the fragmented but growing healthcare system and the complexity of pharmaceutical issues in Mongolia, a sustainable process for the development of the adverse drug reaction reporting system is a key issue. The aim of this article is to disclose the Mongolian situation for the rest of the world and to share experiences on how an ADR reporting system can be developed towards a higher and more advanced level to contribute to both national and international drug safety issues. In this article, we review the features of the Mongolian health care and pharmaceutical systems, as well as the current development of the adverse drug reaction reporting system.

Drug pricing and reimbursement decision making systems in Mongolia

BACKGROUND

It is essential to allocate available resources equitably in order to ensure accessibility and affordability of essential medicines, especially in less fortunate nations with limited health funding. Currently, transparent and evidence based research is required to evaluate decision making regarding drug registration, drug pricing and reimbursement processes in Mongolia.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the drug reimbursement system and discuss challenges faced by policy-makers and stakeholders.

METHODS

The study has examined Mongolian administrative documents and directives for stakeholders and analysed published statistics. Experts and decision-makers were interviewed about the drug pricing and reimbursement processes in Mongolia.

RESULTS

Decisions regarding Mongolian drug registration were based on commonly used criteria of quality, safety, efficacy plus some economic considerations. A total of 11.32 billion Mongolian National Tugrugs (MNT) [5.6 million United States Dollars (USD)] or 12.1% of total health expenditure was spent on patient reimbursement of essential drugs. The highest reimbursed drugs with respect to cost in 2014 were the cardiovascular drug group. Health insurance is compulsory for all citizens; in addition all insured patients have access to reimbursed drugs. However, the decision making process, in particular the level of reimbursement was limited by various barriers, including lack of evidence based data regarding efficacy and comparative cost-effectiveness analysis of drugs and decisions regarding reimbursement.

CONCLUSIONS

Drug registration, pricing and reimbursement process in Mongolia show an increasing trend of drug registration and reimbursement rates, along with lack of transparency. Limited available data indicate that more evidence-based research studies are required in Mongolia to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of drug pricing and reimbursement policies.