E-DRUG: donated drugs (2)
------------------------
Hi David
Formulations and packaging of medicines are ususally
designed for specific markets with certain climatic
conditions to ensure stability (proven by repeated
testing) within the approved expiry date.
Though many of donated medicines were not originally
intended for, will maintain stability under tropical
climate conditions within their expiry dates. But
several may quickly deteriorate, especially those that
are already expired, in hot humid climates typical of
many developing countries.
Trying to set up different "expiry extension" rules
for each donated medicine on basis of guess-work (poor
countries often do not have sufficient drug quality
control laboratory capacity to test drug stability) is
dangerous and can be a drug regulatory authority and
essential drug manager's logistic nightmare. Just try
to make a hypothetical decision on this: For how long
a batch of 50 thousand insulin zinc suspension
injection that is arrived in Honduras in March 2004
and expired 2 months ago can be transported to clinics
in subtropical Puerto Lempira or Swan Island, stored
in the clinic pharmacy and used by patients?
Should'nt we be asking the questions:
- WHY millions of dollars worth of medicines arrive
epxired or near expired to these poor countries on the
first place? and
- HOW can we improve the logistics of drug donations
so that urgently needed essential medicines in good
quality are available when and where they are needed.
Klara Tisocki
B. Pharm., M.Sc., Ph.D.
Phone: + 965 7975493
Fax: +1 775 4169388
Kuwait City
ktisocki@yahoo.ie
--
To send a message to E-Drug, write to: e-drug@healthnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@healthnet.org
in the body of the message type: subscribe e-drug OR unsubscribe e-drug
To contact a person, send a message to: e-drug-help@healthnet.org
Information and archives: http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug