AIM: This study described characteristics of adulterated THM products in Malaysia and aimed to quantify THM products' safety signals of adverse reactions (ARs).
METHODS: THM products that were seized by Pharmacy Enforcement Division between 2008 and 2014 were extracted and analysed for 59,440 THM products. Of these, only 6452 THM products with complete information were included in the final analyses. Safety signalling tools were used to measure AR signals from AR reports obtained from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency Adverse Drug Reaction Database.
RESULTS: More than half of adulterated THM products originated from countries outside of Malaysia, with the majority were from Indonesia. The most common claimed indication of adulterated THM products was for pain and fever relief, while steroids were the most common adulterant. AR signals were generated for cough and cold products for respiratory and thoracic disorders, weight-loss products for cardiac disorders, and women's health products for reproductive and breast disorders.
CONCLUSION: Health authorities from various fields can work collaboratively by implementing strategic actions that include the use of safety signalling tools to curb the increasing number of adulterated THM products in the Malaysian market.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire carried out from September to October 2013. Survey respondents were recruited from 4 divisions in Sarawak: Kuching, Sibu, Miri, and Bintulu.
RESULTS: A total of 433 completed questionnaires were obtained at the end of the study period. All respondents had access to common mass media such as television (89.8%, 389/433), radio (68.6%, 297/433), and the Internet (66.1%, 286/433). Among all respondents, television (71.4%, 309/433) was noted as the most preferred media for drug-related information. Compared with rural respondents, urban respondents were significantly more likely to have access to and prefer the Internet to obtain drug-related information. On the other hand, rural respondents were more likely to have access to and prefer radio for such information compared to their urban counterparts.
CONCLUSIONS: Television can be an important and attractive choice of mass media in a quality use of medicines (QUM) campaign. The Internet can be used to disseminate drug-related information in urban areas, whereas radio can be used in a QUM campaign targeting the rural public.
OBJECTIVE: This systematic review sought to identify DRPs due to medication misadventures, including adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and use of inappropriate medications, among patients with dementia or cognitive impairments.
METHODS: The included studies were retrieved from the electronic databases PubMed and SCOPUS, and a preprint platform (MedRXiv) which were searched from their inception through August 2022. The English-language publications that reported DRPs among dementia patients were included. The JBI Critical Appraisal Tool for quality assessment was used to evaluate the quality of studies included in the review.
RESULTS: Overall, 746 distinct articles were identified. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria and reported the most common DRPs, which comprised medication misadventures (n = 9), such as ADRs, inappropriate prescription use, and potentially inappropriate medication use (n = 6).
CONCLUSION: This systematic review provides evidence that DRPs are prevalent among dementia patients, particularly the older people. It indicates that medication misadventures such as ADRs and inappropriate drug use, as well as potentially inappropriate medications, are the most prevalent DRPs among older people with dementia. Due to the small number of included studies, however, additional studies are required to improve comprehension about the issue.