Abstract
BackgroundPharmaceuticals have made an important contribution to global reductions in morbidity and mortality. To help save lives and improve health, it is important to be sure about equity to access to drugs, drug efficacy, quality and safety, and rational use of drugs, which are standardized National Drug Policy (NDP) objectives. NDP's indicators are useful to evaluate the pharmaceutical system performance in a country. Iran has adapted a National Drug List (NDL). Since management of drug supply in Iran takes place only for drugs that have been selected in NDL and this list is selected by the member of Iran Drug Selecting Committee (IDSC), thus evaluation of IDSC's decision making during last 5 years is an appropriate way to evaluate the implementation of drug supply system in the country.MethodsTo identify strengths and weaknesses of pharmaceutical policy formation and implementation in Iran, four standard questionnaires of the World Health Organization (WHO) were used. To assess the agreement between decisions of IDSC and standardized NDP indicators in the last 5 years (1998–2002), a weighted questionnaire by nominal group technique based on the questions that should be answered during discussion about one drug in IDSC was designed and used.ResultsThere is a totally generics based NDP with 95% local production, that provides affordable access to drugs. The system, structures, and mechanisms were in place; however, they did not function properly in some topics. Assessment of 59 dossiers of approved drugs for adding to NDL during last 5 years showed that IDSC's members pay more attention to efficacy, safety, and rationality in use rather than accessibility and affordability.ConclusionRevision of drug system in term of implementation of the processes to achieve NDP's objectives is necessary to save public health. Clarification of NDP's objectives and their impact for IDSC's members will result in improvement of the equity in access to pharmaceuticals.
Highlights
Pharmaceuticals have made an important contribution to global reductions in morbidity and mortality [6]
To help save lives and improve health by closing huge gap between the potential that essential drugs have to offer and the reality that for millions of people medicines are unavailable, unaffordable, unsafe or improperly used, World Health Organization (WHO) is already working with a wide range of partners to achieve this aim by drugs and medicines, and by working with countries to ensure equity to access to drugs, drug quality and safety, and rational use of drugs [7]
A descriptive, explanatory, and prescriptive objectives methodology has been designed to describe the consequences, stakeholders, interests, and networks involved in the National Drug Policy (NDP); to help explain how and why a particular decision was reached in the past; and to assist decision-makers in managing the politics of formulation or implementation
Summary
Pharmaceuticals have made an important contribution to global reductions in morbidity and mortality. To help save lives and improve health, it is important to be sure about equity to access to drugs, drug efficacy, quality and safety, and rational use of drugs, which are standardized National Drug Policy (NDP) objectives. To help save lives and improve health by closing huge gap between the potential that essential drugs have to offer and the reality that for millions of people medicines are unavailable, unaffordable, unsafe or improperly used, World Health Organization (WHO) is already working with a wide range of partners to achieve this aim by drugs and medicines, and by working with countries to ensure equity to access to drugs, drug quality and safety, and rational use of drugs [7].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
