Why are fake medicines still a problem in Southeast Asia?
The problem of fake medicines is far from being solved in Asia. The Pharmaceutical Security Institute reported that 1,100 “incidents” involving counterfeit and illegal pharmaceuticals were reported in Asia in 2015. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime has also revealed that Asia has the largest share of the global trade in illegal and fake medicines. […]
Want to reduce childhood illness? Let pharmacists give vaccines.
Pharmacists hold a unique position in the healthcare system: they are highly accessible to the public and are the most visited health care professionals. They have long opening hours, a wide availability of medicines, and are spread across wide geographies – many areas tend to have pharmacies a lot closer than they do clinics. Yet, pharmacists […]
PM2.5 and the Role of the Pharmacist in a Changing Climate
Bangkok entered 2019 with critically unsafe levels of air pollution caused partly by heavy traffic, construction, crop burning, and coal-based electricity generation. The most concerning pollutant in the city’s air is known as PM 2.5, which is small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and cause respiratory damage. According to the World Health Organization […]
The only way to end TB is to involve pharmacists
Pharmacies are the first point of access to modern medical advice and treatment for most people in Southeast Asia, especially the poor and rural. Patients may not go to a hospital or clinic at all unless treatment at the pharmacy fails first. Because most pharmacies in the region are private independently-owned shops not integrated into […]
How AI is Transforming Health in Emerging Markets
Across many emerging markets, there is a lack of basic health data due to low adoption of electronic medical records and inefficient data collection. Indeed, too much data is being gathered manually, which is not only costly and time-consuming, but also fails to capture the entire picture. However, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into […]
The best opportunity for pharmacists’ continuing education is on their phones
People across the globe are spending more time on their mobile phones accessing social media, browsing the web, or using apps. In Vietnam, for example, there are 50 million active mobile social users, and individuals spend an average of 6 hours and 52 minutes on the internet each day! It is natural that mobile continuing education […]
In Southeast Asia, patients aren’t finishing their TB medications. Why?
There are many reasons why patients in Southeast Asia do not take their full courses of TB medications. This non-adherence causes multi-drug resistant strains of TB (MDR-TB), which poses a deadly threat to health worldwide. We must improve TB treatment adherence in Southeast Asia, where MDR-TB is rising. In order to do that, we need to understand the barriers […]
3 ways pharmacists reduce health care costs
Around the world, pharmacists are playing a larger role in healthcare teams alongside doctors and nurses. Though they have long been known for their expertise in dispensing medication, pharmacy professionals are slowly gaining more responsibility and involvement in public health. When pharmacists are included in healthcare teams they reduce health care costs for patients, other healthcare professionals, […]
Diazepam is the most requested mental health drug in Vietnam: Reflections on data and mental health
Although the link between physical and mental health is well established in scientific circles, it has not yet been properly communicated to the general public— particularly in rapidly developing regions like Southeast Asia. This is problematic because mental illness increases the risk of infection from bodily diseases, and an estimated 14% of the global burden […]
Why pharmacists should be able to prescribe oral contraceptives
In countries like the United States, pharmacists can dispense everything from oral contraceptives to drugs that manage opioid dependence without a prescription. However, no Southeast Asian country allows pharmacists to prescribe oral contraceptives (OC), though some OC is available over-the-counter in countries like Thailand and Vietnam. Pharmacists should be able to prescribe OC. This is especially […]
