Why falsified medicines reach patients
An analysis of political and economic factors in Romania
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21881107 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Adina-Loredana Nistor (0000-0001-9943-4025, Erasmus University Rotterdam), Elizabeth Pisani (0000-0002-3674-631X, Pancasila University), Maarten Olivier Kok (0000-0001-8957-1253, Erasmus University Rotterdam, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | Suppl 3 |
| Pages | e009918 |
| Publication date | 2023-02-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMJ Global Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2059-7908 • E-ISSN: 2059-7908 |
| Publisher | BMJ (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009918 |
| PMID | 36731920 |
| OpenAlex | W4318986838 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 10 |
INTRODUCTION: To protect patients against falsified medicines, countries around the world implement stringent regulations. Despite efforts to protect supply chains in the European Union (EU), authorities continue to find falsified medicine. We studied how in Romania, one of the poorest EU countries, political and economic factors influence the risk of patients being exposed to falsified medicines. METHODS: For this case study, we reviewed 131 documents and interviewed 22 purposively selected key informants. RESULTS: In Romania, several politically and economically motivated policies have led to persistent medicine shortages. Following the 2007 accession to the EU, fierce competition led to a decline in domestic medicine production. Soon after, the government introduced a tax on reimbursed medicines to support the national health budget. Prior to the 2015 elections, medicine prices were abruptly lowered to provide voters with the cheapest medicine in Europe. The low prices incentivised traders to buy medicines in Romania and sell them elsewhere in the EU. The high taxes and low prices led manufacturers to withdraw medicines from the market and impose product quotas to limit parallel trading. The accumulated effect of these market responses translated into persistent shortages of essential medicine, which have pushed patients and health professionals to unregulated markets with a high risk of exposure to falsified medicine. CONCLUSION: Strategies against falsified medicine with a narrow focus on safeguarding quality in the regulated supply are insufficient. To protect patients, governments must also ensure that patients have access to affordable medicines, as shortages provide an opportunity for those selling fake products
Black market · Business · Economic growth · Economic policy · Economic shortage · Economics · European union · Health care · International trade · Market economy · Political science · Politics · Safeguarding · Economic and Financial Impacts of Cancer · Law · Medicine · Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy · Pharmaceutical Quality and Counterfeiting · Health Policy
| Citations per year | 1.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |