E-DRUG: New U.S. Study on Drug Donations
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Harvard Study Finds Some Drug Donations Old, Useless
PHILADELPHIA, Aug 16 (AP) � A substantial amount of U.S. pharmaceutical
donations to poor countries consist of drugs that are of little or no
use, even though more than two-thirds of such shipments are "essential
drugs" that arrive well before their expiration dates, according to a
new study by the Harvard School of Public Health.
Details from the study, which is being published in the Bulletin of the
World Health Organization, appeared in Tuesday's editions of The
Philadelphia Inquirer.
Critics have said drug donations have ranged from lifesaving gifts to
mass dumping of old and unsellable products that still net the donors
tax deductions.
The new study, led by Michael R. Reich, a Harvard professor of
international health policy, reviewed 16,566 shipments between 1994 and
1997, going to 129 countries. The study team found that about 70 percent
of the donated medicine met WHO guidelines for shelf life and were not
due to expire for at least a year.
Among the 30 percent that did not meet WHO guidelines, 5.6 percent of
the products had a shelf life of less than 100 days when shipped.
In a detailed examination of drug shipments to Haiti, Tanzania and
Armenia, the study found that, although 50 percent to 80 percent of
donated medicine appeared on the recipients' "essential drugs" list,
between 10 percent and 42 percent did not.
The study was commissioned and financed by the Partnership for Quality
Medical Donations, a group based in Pennsylvania that represents seven
pharmaceutical companies and six relief agencies.
Members of the partnership include SmithKline Beecham, Wyeth-Ayerst
Laboratories, Merck and Co. Inc., the Catholic Medical Mission Board,
Project Hope and AmeriCares.
Reich said the sponsors did not review the team's article before its
publication and every effort was made to limit their influence.
James Russo, executive director for the partnership, said the study
shows the importance of drug donations, "but there is no doubt we have
to improve the donations, the relevance of them and the procedures
through which the donations are made."
The consortium was formed two years ago after articles and letters
appeared in medical journals complaining about unusable medical
donations to countries in need.
Source: InteliHealth Professional Network
(http://ipn.intelihealth.com/ipn/ihtIPN?c=237003)
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