Assessment of Newspaper Coverage of Fake Drugs in Nigeria
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are;
- To ascertain the relationship between newspaper coverage and fake drugs
- To ascertain the impact of fake drug on human health
- To ascertain the role of newspaper in spreading of fake drug
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
FAKE DRUG:
Drugs are used to cure or treat disease, relieve symptoms, ease pain, prevent disease or symptoms, eliminate or reduce symptoms and to slow the disease process. Fake means something that is not genuine but is presented as or appears to be genuine to make or produce something and claim it is genuine when it is not. Shelf life is the time taken for the preparation to become unfit for use either through chemical degradation of the active ingredient or physical deterioration of the preparation during storage. It can also be defined as the period a drug or product will remain satisfactory when stored under expected or directed storage conditions ordered by the manufacturer. Shelf life or expiry date of a drug is usually a maximum of five years. Counterfeit is something made for a dishonest purpose; an act deliberately designed to deceive. The World Health Organization defines counterfeit drugs as one which is deliberately and fraudulently mislabelled with respect to identify and/or source . Counterfeiting of commercial products is an age old practice which flourishes in many countries and is motivated mainly by the huge profits to be made. Trade in counterfeit drugs appears to be widespread internationally, affecting both developed and developing countries. The spread of counterfeit drugs is generally more pronounced in those countries where the manufacture, importation, distribution, supply and sale of drugs are less regulated and enforcement may be weak. Counterfeiting can apply to both branded and generic products and counterfeit medicines may include products with the correct ingredients but fake packaging with the wrong ingredients, without active ingredients or with insufficient active ingredients . Counterfeit medicinal drugs include those with less or none of the stated active ingredients with added sometimes hazardous, adulterated, substituted ingredients, completely misrepresented or sold with a false brand name otherwise legitimate drugs that have passed their date of expiry are sometimes remarked with false date low quality. A counterfeit medication or pharmaceutical product is produced or sold with the intent to deceptively represent its origin authenticity or effectiveness. A counterfeit drug may contain inappropriate quantities of active ingredients or none may be improperly processed within the body for example absorption by the body, or may contain ingredients that are not on the label. Several technologies may prove helpful in combating the counterfeit drug problem. Fake drugs otherwise called counterfeit drugs are unfit for usage and human consumption and therefore constitute hazard to good health. Drug counterfeiting is a growing danger and not only in developing countries where it can account for up to 40% of the market . Some counterfeiting is difficult to detect, investigate, quantify or stop. The quantity of counterfeit medication is difficult to determine. Counterfeiting occurs throughout the world, although there are claims it is more common in some developing countries with weak regulatory or enforcement regimens. A counterfeit drug may look like the genuine version of medication. The business of fake drugs is a lucrative crime that is increasing annually worldwide. The problem of fake drugs is wide spread affecting both developing and developed nations, assumes added significance in view of rapid globalization and is assuming a dangerous dimension in most countries. Counterfeiters employ all types of things including setting up of fake companies and procuring fake certificates and documents for exporting and importing pharmaceutical ingredients as well as machinery . Counterfeit drugs are illegal and may be harmful to health. Easy access to counterfeit drugs especially in the tropics in large open air markets alongside fruits and vegetables makes this a flourishing business . Often, the patients here obtain medicines from untrained vendors without prescription, in inadequate courses and without information . Counterfeiting is greatest in regions where regulatory and enforcement systems for medicines are weakest. All kinds of medicines have been counterfeited branded and generic, ranging from medicines for the treatment of life threatening conditions to inexpensive generic versions of painkillers. Fake medicines pose a public health risk because their content can be dangerous or they can lack active ingredients. Their use can result in treatment failure and contribute to increased resistance example, in the case of anti-malarial that contains insufficient active ingredients or even death. Paying for medicines can consume a significant proportion of individual or family income. Some people seek medicines that are sold more cheaply. These are often available from nonregulated outlets, where the incidence of fake medicines is likely to be higher as is often the case in the rural areas of developing countries. Counterfeiting medicines can be very lucrative.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought assessment of newspaper coverage of fake drugs in Nigeria
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information assessment of newspaper coverage of fake drugs in Nigeria. 200 staff of selected newspaper in Akwa Ibom state was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain assessment of newspaper coverage of fake drugs in Nigeria. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of newspaper coverage on fake drug
Summary
This study was on assessment of newspaper coverage of fake drugs in Nigeria. Three objectives were raised which included: To ascertain the relationship between newspaper coverage and fake drugs, to ascertain the impact of fake drug on human health, to ascertain the role of newspaper in spreading of fake drug. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of selected newspapers in Akwa Ibom state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made editors, marketers, senior staff and junior officers were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
The spread of counterfeit drugs is generally more pronounced in countries where the manufacture, importation, distribution, supply and sale of drugs are less regulated and enforcement may be weak. To achieve the goal of health for all, the menace of counterfeit drugs needs to be controlled. Counterfeit medicine poses a serious threat to public health and has taken a silent devastating toll on humanity due to the lack of reporting in some critically affected areas. In addition to past and present losses due to fake drugs, the future of global health is at risk. Disease causing agents can develop resistance to genuine drugs
Recommendation
Government should sponsor media for more publication to fight against fake drugs which is no t good to our health
REFERENCE
- WHO. Guidelines for the development of measures to combat counterfeit drug. 2.
- World Health Organization Fact Sheet 272. Revised 2006 February. 3.
- Juliet Y. Update on counterfeit drugs: a growing risk for public health. Bull Acad Natl Med, 2008; 192(7): 1423-34 4.
- World Health Organization. Counterfeit medicines. World Health Organization. Fact sheet No 275 revised 2006. 5.
- Burns W. News: WHO launches taskforce to fight counterfeit drugs. Bull World Health Organization, 2006; 84:689-90 6.
- Rozendaal J. Fake anti-malarials circulating in Cambodia. Bull Mekong Malaria Forum, 2000; 7: 62-8 7.
- Videau JY. Quality of medicines in least developed countries. Med Trop, 2006; 66 (6): 533-7 8.
- Erhum WO, Babalola OO, Erhum MO. Drug regulation and control in Nigeria: the challenge of counterfeit drugs. Journal Health Population Developing Countries, 2001; 4(2): 23-34 9.
- Editorial. Counterfeit medicines. The lancet. 377(9778): 1626 10. Green MD. Antimalarial drug resistance and the importance of drug quality monitoring. J Postgrad Med, 2006; 52: 288-90 11.
- Ahmad K. Antidepressants are sold as antiretrovirals in DR Congo. Lancet, 2004; 363: 713 12.
- Osibo OO. Faking and counterfeiting of drugs. West African J Pharm, 1998; 12 (1): 53-57 13.
- Wertheimer AI, Chaney NM, Santella T. Counterfeit pharmaceuticals: current status and future projections. J American Pharm Assoc, 2003; 43: 710-18
