Effect of Counterfeit Drugs on Distribution of Pharmaceutical Products in Mombasa County, Kenya

Abstract

Counterfeiting is unauthorised imitative creation of product without power from the proprietor’s which are secured by licensed innovation rights to make benefits. Counterfeit medicines are a piece of the more extensive marvel of substandard pharmaceuticals medicines produced underneath set up principles of value and in this manner hazardous to patients' wellbeing and ineffectual for the treatment of maladies. The distinction is that counterfeits are intentionally and deceitfully mislabelled as for personality or source. The objectives of this study was to establish the influence of consumer demand on distribution of counterfeit drugs in the pharmaceutical industry in Mombasa County, to establish the effect of counterfeit drugs on pharmaceutical businesses in Mombasa County and to determine the role of pharmaceutical drugs regulatory body on distribution of counterfeit drugs.The target population of this study was all the pharmaceutical wholesalers and retailers in Mombasa who had renewed license for 2015 and have been in the business for more than one and half years. In Mombasa county 306 pharmacies and distributors had renewed their 2015 license and had been in business for more than one and a half years. A sample size consisted of 101 pharmacies. Data was collected using a semi structured questionnaire. The findings of the study revealed that, there was high influence of Consumer demand on distribution of Counterfeit drugs, the extent of the effects of Counterfeit on Pharmaceutical businesses was high at a mean score of 4.37 and the role of pharmaceutical drugs regulatory body and Challenges faced during distribution were; frequent change of prices and discounting structures due to inter currency fluctuations, return of damaged products, Corrupt officials, Lack of evidence based research, Product recalls and Illegal importation. The study recommended that, the pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and Anti-counterfeit body should deliberate on educating or creating awareness to the public on the effects of counterfeit drugs and ways of identifying the original brands, the pharmaceutical owners should employ registered pharmacist and order products from registered pharmaceutical distributors and suppliers, the Kenya anti-counterfeit regulatory body should put up strategies to work with pharmaceutical business, distributors and the public in reporting all cases of counterfeiting for necessary action and the pharmaceutical drugs regulatory body should constantly monitor all pharmaceutical premises to ensure none operates unregistered and no pharmacist operates without license/being registered.