Drug Sales Research Articles

Between street and digital capital? A qualitative study of judicial sentencing of persons convicted of online drug dealing in Sweden

PurposeDrug sales facilitated through digital communication on the surface web and on darknet cryptomarkets have increased during the past two decades. This has resulted in an increase in drug law enforcement efforts to combat these markets and a subsequent increase in judicial sentencing of people selling drugs online. The aim of this study was to analyze how Swedish courts describe sentenced sellers and how the courts apply case law.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical material consists of 71 sentencing documents produced by Swedish courts in cases of online drug selling between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2020. In total, 99 sentenced persons occur in the documents. Using a qualitative research design, the authors analyzed the material through thematic text analysis.FindingsOverall, in their descriptions of online drug sale operations, the courts’ characterizations of the concepts of street capital and digital capital show a dichotomy. These forms of capital are situationally described as both aggravating and mitigating aspects in the application of case law, indicating that it may be fruitful to view both street and digital capital as resources used on contemporary drug markets in general.Originality/valueVery little research exists into how judicial systems describe and perceive the developing phenomenon of online drug sales. Using a relatively large sample from a decade of sentencing, the authors provide an analysis of how Swedish courts view and valuate capital forms in the online drugs trade.

What is the Impact of Alcohol Ban on Prevalence of Undertrial Prisoners of Liquor & Narcotics Drugs Related Acts Violation in Bihar - A Twelve Year (2010-2021) Comparative Cross-Sectional Study?

There is a global prerequisite for making and implementing a diminution strategy in the want of drugs of addiction, both legal and banned, which may otherwise lead to plentiful negative health, family, socio-economic and mental consequences. During the 63rd session of the WHA (World Health Assembly), held at Geneva in May 2010, including India the 193 global member states reached on mutual consensus for global strategies to trim down the detrimental use of alcohol by adopting resolution WHA 63.13. The (GoI) Government of India enforced, The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, Act No. 61 of 1985 with guidelines, protocols and essential framework to reduce drug abuse and sale in India. Alcohol causes 3 million deaths per annum globally; responsible for 5.1% of the global burden of disease, gender wise harmful consumption of alcohol is about 7.1% in males compared to 2.2% in females. The Bihar Excise Act, 1915 was amended and new amendment Act, 2016 was enforced from 01.04.2016, vide Gazette Notification No. 1485 dated 05.04.2016. Absolute Prohibition of sale and consumption of liquor in any form was declared in the State of Bihar. Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 was notified on 2 October 2016 to put into effect complete ban of alcohol consumption/sale in the territory of Bihar. The key objective of this study is to find out impact of alcohol ban on the prevalence of under trial, Prisoners of Liquor & Narcotics Drugs related Acts violation before the intervention (i.e. alcohol ban) and after alcohol ban. This novel cross sectional research study revealed that there is 1190.39 percent increase in the Under trial, prisoners violating Bihar Liquor & Narcotics Drugs Excise Act after absolute prohibition of sale and consumption of liquor in Bihar, India. Added to this the research study also revealed that there is 355.12 percent and 169.30 percent increase in violation of Liquor & Narcotics Drugs Prohibition Act as well as Liquor & Narcotics Drugs NDPS Act respectively during the period when alcohol is banned in the state of Bihar as compared to same period before alcohol ban.

Research on the Application of Blockchain Technology in the Design of Analgesic Drug Supply Chain

The supply chain of analgesic drugs has many circulation links and trading levels, and the trading channels are complex; Information asymmetry and low logistics efficiency; Wholesale links account for a large proportion of costs. Too many trading links and complicated trading channels make the trading information asymmetric, opaque and disorderly, which will inevitably lead to the loss of efficiency and benefit in the circulation process. In this paper, the application of blockchain technology in the design of analgesic drug supply chain is studied. The analgesic drug data management center is maintained by the pharmaceutical enterprises themselves or the third party, which is mainly responsible for distributing the unique identification code of drugs, backing up all records of the whole cycle of drug production, storage, circulation and sales, and realizing the two-way traceability function of drugs. In the production process, pharmaceutical enterprises attach electronic labels from single products and outer packaging boxes to realize the traceability and anti-counterfeiting of drugs throughout their life cycle. Correspondingly, it also integrates the advantages and disadvantages of self-management and outsourcing. At this stage, enterprises can choose to subcontract non-core logistics business first, so that enterprises can focus on their core business and avoid wasting too much money and energy in logistics.

Healing Words

Healing Words

Topical glucocorticosteroids: from high clinical efficacy to the problem of uncontrolled use (case report)

Due to their pronounced biological activity, glucocorticosteroids are widely used in various fields of medical practice. The variety of effects of these hormones makes them an important part of the treatment of dermatological patients. This group of drugs has a pronounced positive effect on various links in the pathogenesis of many chronic dermatoses due to anti-inflammatory, vasoconstrictive, immunosuppressive and antiproliferative effects. The creation of combined external preparations containing a glucocorticosteroid in combination with an antibacterial and/or antifungal component has become a significant achievement in dermatological practice. Due to the rapid relief of signs of inflammation, as well as additional antibacterial and antifungal effects, these external agents have become especially attractive to patients. Widespread advertising and over-the-counter sale of drugs containing glucocorticosteroids leads to the fact that a significant part of patients seek advice from a dermatologist only after their ineffective use. At the same time, their uncontrolled use can lead to a number of side effects, including both pathological changes in the skin and pronounced negative systemic reactions. This fact significantly changes the clinical picture of the disease, limits the possibilities of early laboratory diagnosis of infection, which often prolongs the time for verification of the diagnosis and complicates therapy. The article presents our own clinical observations of patients with skin mycoses who have been using combined topical preparations containing glucocorticosteroids for a long time. This led to an atypical clinical course of the infection and required additional diagnostics using histological examination. The analysis of clinical observations is intended to focus the attention of primary care physicians on this problem, which can increase patient awareness of the risks of using topical drugs containing glucocorticosteroids.

Estimating the effects of legalizing drug e-commerce

With the technological development the e-commerce channel began to spread to all sectors of the economy. In 2020 with the introduction of sanitary and epidemiological restrictions because of COVID-19 pandemic, many countries lifted the ban of drug e-commerce. Such changes are interesting from the point of view of health economics, and the opening of this sales channel significantly reduces transaction costs and increases the physical availability of drugs, especially in regions with low population density. The article attempts to evaluate the effects of legalization of online sales of drugs on price level and the degree of market concentration (the concentration of the 5 largest companies is used as a proxy), and also uses new methods to estimate the effects of legalizing e-commerce on drug markets. High rates of industry and drug market concentration can lead to a noticeable decrease in the availability of goods. Legalizing e-commerce can be seen as a way to reduce market concentration by facilitating market entry for small firms. The effects of lifting the ban on remote drug sales are estimated using regression analysis on panel data, cross-country matching, and synthetic control. Empirical estimates provide an overall picture of the effects of legalizing online drug sales. After allowing remote drug sales market concentration decreases, indicating a reduction in information asymmetry and switching costs. This effect is particularly important for countries with a high proportion of pensioners, for whom the switching costs are noticeably higher ceteris paribus. Allowing distance trade, due to reducing information asymmetry, drug pricing also slows down, that is, in addition to increasing physical accessibility, opening this channel also increases economic accessibility.

Eye symptoms due to environmental and climatic parameters variation: The Google trends and eye-drops selling as monitors

Climate and pollution challenges have been increasing over the last decades. The eyes are susceptible to those challenges. Modern life allows the population to search internet engine tools for information regarding eye symptoms. Drug sales are globally monitored to orient the actions of pharmaceutical companies. Monitoring those two big data sources of information (i.e., trends in internet search of eye diseases and symptoms and eye drop sales) can be correlated with climate and pollution data of the same locations and time to create standards capable of alerting about climate and pollution challenges. The present hypothesis is that climate and pollution level changes correlate with an increase in the search for ocular discomfort on the internet and the sales volume of symptomatic-relieving eye drops, providing a new tool to people’s health and preventive medicine. The potential correlation with statistical significance and a reliable confidence interval will allow using these correlations as tools to monitor remotely and to compare the parameters among different regions and over time. The benefits are to provide subsidies to public health strategies to predict and minimize climatic and environmental parameters effects.

A System Dynamics Model to Enhance the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority's Approach to Reduce Unauthorized Drug Sales in West Sumatra Province

Indonesia has a high rate of violation of prescription drug sales by unauthorized facilities such as drug stores, retail stores, as well as by doctors and other health professionals. Based on Government Regulation No. 51 of 2009 on Pharmacy Profession, prescription drugs, psychotropics, and narcotics cannot be obtained freely. These drugs can only be obtained with a doctor's prescription and are administered by a pharmacist. Inappropriate prescription drug sales result in drug misuse and irrational use, reducing the quality of drug therapy, increasing morbidity and mortality, wasting resources, reducing drug availability, increasing costs, increasing the risk of side effects, and accelerating the emergence of antimicrobial drug resistance. Between 2018 and 2020, the number of criminal cases handled by the Indonesian FDA (BPOM) related to this issue increased from 8.94% to 14.48%, and the number of violations increased from 39.85% to 68.35% in the Province of West Sumatra. Prescription drug sales violations are complicated, as it involves many factors/variables and parties. This study intends to produce recommendations for reducing violations associated with the sale of prescription drug in West Sumatra Province. This study applied a system dynamic approach to analyze and simulate the variables affecting the sale of prescription drugs at unauthorized facilities. As a result, 31 factors were discovered and 10 scenarios were simulated, showing that the pharmacist's role has a significant impact on the system. Increased public perception and understanding, pharmacists’ and other health workers' responsibilities, and legal enforcement are variables that must be intervened to reduce these violations.

APPLICATION OF THE FIFO MODEL IN THE DRUG INVENTORY INFORMATION SYSTEM AT THE ASYFA KRUENG MANE PHARMACY

Asyfa Krueng Mane Pharmacy is a business entity engaged in the sale of drugs. The drug supply data processing system that was carried out at the Asyfa Krueng Mane Pharmacy still uses ordinary stationery to process drug supply data so that it is deemed less effective and efficient. Therefore, there is a need for an information system that can be used to assist and support the efficiency of the drug data processing process at the Asyfa Krueng Mane Pharmacy using the FEFO (First First Out) method, which is a method that dispenses drugs with shorter expiry dates than drugs with a later expiry date. long. With the application of the FEFO method in the Asyfa Krueng Mane Pharmacy information system, it is hoped that there will be no more accumulation of drugs and drugs with shorter expiration than drugs with longer expiration can be issued in order. As for the research results, you can see the Asyfa Pharmacy and type of Obt001 and type of Paracetamol and drug stock and date of entry and exit
 
 
 

Trust intermediary in a cryptomarket for illegal drugs

Abstract Cooperation without third-party enforcement is particularly puzzling in illicit online markets given the anonymity of online exchanges in the ‘dark web’ and the asymmetry of information between buyers and sellers. Most of the literature investigates the effects of reputation systems on sales. Less is known about the role of (semi)institutionalized solutions to trust problems, such as the escrow service, which deposits payments for online purchases with the market platform and releases them only upon confirmation of the item delivery by a customer. We study the effect of such a trust intermediary on sales in a cryptomarket for illegal drugs. Using a large dataset of illegal online transactions, we estimate two sets of fixed effects models predicting the sellers’ choice to offer the trust intermediary and examine the effects of such a choice on sales. Our results indicate that the trust intermediary reduces online drug sales. We explain this finding by showing suggestive evidence that escrow may crowd out traders’ trust and reciprocity. Our findings have implications for theories of the role of institutions in online markets and offer policy recommendations for law enforcement agencies.

Using the possibilities of information and communication technologies for contactless sales of narcotics in Ukraine

The article reveals the peculiarities of the organization of contactless sales of drugs through so-called online stores and defines the role of the key figures of this type of criminal business in order to understand the difficulties that law enforcement agencies face during the detection and investigation of cases of distribution of drugs in this way. In addition, the main links in the structure of the criminal Internet network are highlighted. In general, the state of contactless sales of drugs was characterized and a forecast was made regarding the future development of this dangerous phenomenon in Ukraine.

Особенности квалификации некоторых продолжаемых преступлений

The article reveals the thesis that the existing rules for the qualification of ongoing crimes are not universal, since they depend on the criminal policy, the construction of the corpus delicti. The paper reveals the specifics of the qualification of the continued sale of narcotic drugs, continued theft with the illegal use of a bank card, continued extortion.

Orphan Drug Development Policies in India and the United States: A Comparison

Abstract: Background: A pharmacological agent known as an orphan drug was created to address rare or orphan diseases. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claims that the Orphan Drug Act has certainly encouraged the development of treatments for rare diseases. The Orphan Drug Act was passed in the United States in 1983 to encourage pharmaceutical companies to develop treatments for rare diseases. Global sales of orphan drugs are anticipated to increase at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.3% from 2019 to 2024, which is roughly double the rate anticipated for the non-orphan drug industry. India has between 72 and 96 million people who are affected by rare diseases. There are no specific orphan drug laws in India. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India established a National Policy for the Treatment of Rare Diseases in July 2017 (NPTRD). However, there were challenges to the execution of the policy. The Orphan Drug Act, which was passed on January 4, 1983, gave orphan medications legal status in the United States. The lack of orphan drug regulation hurts the Indian pharmaceutical businesses' ability to thrive economically. Contrarily, the US's orphan drug regulations have been effective in bringing therapies to people with rare disorders. The assessment of the scope and impact of orphan diseases, as well as a widespread awareness campaign about orphan diseases, are urgently needed in the current situation. Orphan drug development requires strong policies and initiatives from both public and private institutions. Materials and Methods: This review article is based on the information collected from various sources from FDA and NPTRD and the articles mentioned. Results: The different guidelines and regulations for the development and manufacture of orphan pharmaceuticals should be put into place to ensure that orphan diseases get the necessary treatment and care. Conclusion: The FDA regularly updates and the Orphan Drug Act provides direction for the overall rules and regulations in the United States. In India, being a semi-regulated market, there are no such specific rules and regulations regarding development. The National Policy for Rare Disease in India 2021 helps as a guidance document regarding the policies related to orphan drugs in India. Keywords: Orphan Drugs, Orphan diseases, Rare diseases, Initiative, Treatment.

Mapping Real-World Use of the Onion Router

Since its inception, The Onion Router (TOR) has been discussed as an anonymizing tool used for nefarious purposes. Past scholarship has focused on publicly available lists of onion URLs containing illicit or illegal content. The current study is an attempt to move past these surface-level explanations and into a discussion of actual use data; a multi-tiered system to identify real-world TOR traffic was developed for the task. The researcher configured and deployed a fully functioning TOR “exit” node for public use. A Wireshark instance was placed between the node and the “naked” internet to collect usage data (destination URLs, length of visit, etc.), but not to deanonymize or otherwise unmask TOR users. For 6 months, the node ran and collected data 24 hr per day, which produced a data set of over 4.5 terabytes. Using Python, the researcher developed a custom tool to filter the URLs into human-readable form and to produce descriptive data. All URLs were coded and categorized into a variety of classifications, including e-commerce, banking, social networking, pornography, and cryptocurrency. Findings reveal that most TOR usage is rather benign, with users spending much more time on social networking and e-commerce sites than on those with illegal drug or pornographic content. Likewise, visits to legal sites vastly outnumber visits to illegal ones. Although most URLs collected were for English-language websites, there were a sizable amount for Russian and Chinese sites, which may demonstrate the utilization of TOR in countries where internet access is censored or monitored by government actors. Akin to other new technologies which have earned bad reputations, such as file-sharing program BitTorrent and intellectual property theft or cryptocurrency Bitcoin and online drug sales, this study demonstrates that TOR is utilized by offenders and non-offenders alike.

Criminal economy of Cuba, Venezuela, and Colombia: Structure, intersection points, profitability assessment

The spread of the criminal economy is the biggest problem in the global financial environment. Cuba, Venezuela, and Colombia are characterised by a fairly high level of economic crime. In these countries, criminal economic activity flourishes, which reduces the social development of states and spreads unemployment and poverty in their territories. That is why the issue of the criminal economy of Cuba, Venezuela, and Colombia and the specifics of the structure, intersection points, and assessment of the level of profitability in these countries is quite relevant. It is in these areas that the problem of developing the criminal economy is poorly regulated and along with criminal activities there is a problem of poverty and the presence of military conflicts. That is why the purpose of this study is to investigate and generalise aspects of the criminal economy of Cuba, Venezuela, and Colombia, and to determine the features of its structure, intersection points, and assessment of the level of profitability. Theoretical methods were used during the study – analysis and synthesis. In particular, it was determined that the intersection points of the criminal economies of Cuba, Venezuela, and Colombia are focused on the activities of the transnational criminal organisation National Liberation Army. It is established that the main structural elements of the criminal economy in cooperation in these countries are drug trafficking, fuel smuggling, illegal gold mining, prostitution, and human trafficking. The assessment of the level of profitability showed that the countries under study are disadvantageous, which is explained by the presence of a high level of criminal economy. Based on the results of the study, measures were developed and proposed to combat the criminal economy in relation to the intersection points in Cuba, Venezuela, and Colombia. It is determined that the main areas for reducing the level of the criminal economy should be measures aimed at combating the transnational criminal group – the National Liberation Army, actions to eliminate businesses for the production and sale of drugs, fuel smuggling, prostitution, and human trafficking in the territory of the considered countries. Thus, the practical significance of the study is that the identified measures to combat the criminal economy can be used in Cuba, Venezuela, and Colombia to improve the social situation in these countries and raise the standard of living in these areas

“A Disease Like Any Other”: Awareness-Raising and Neuro-tivization of Depression in Poland

This article shows how Forum Against Depression, 1 an online platform devoted to depression, creates awareness about depression in Poland. This qualitative study uses critical discourse analysis to interpret texts published by the Forum and a short film, Disappearing Children, devoted to “teenage depression.” In this discourse, depression is presented as an object, the meaning of which is stable and dispersed. The article shows how the creation of this double semiosis of depression provides an invitation for auto-diagnosis and blurs the identity of the sender: the pharmaceutical company running the campaign, which is the subject of this article. Neuro-tivization of depression conceals the social context of distress and helps maximize drug sales. Ultimately, this article tracks the merging of complex psychiatrization and depsychiatrization processes. The article enhances discussion about issues related to biomedical framings of mental health, diagnostic reification of mental health diagnoses, and debate about conditions in which mental health knowledge is produced in Poland and globally.

Twenty-Three-Year Trends in the Use of Potentially Nephrotoxic Drugs in Denmark.

The occurrence of acute and chronic kidney diseases has been rising in the last decades. Although drug use is a common risk factor for impaired kidney function, changes in utilization of potential nephrotoxic drugs have received little attention. To describe temporal trends in the utilization of potentially nephrotoxic drugs in Denmark between 1999 and 2021. Specific drugs known or suspected to be nephrotoxic were identified in the literature. Data on the sold defined daily doses (DDDs) of potentially nephrotoxic drugs between 1999 and 2021 were retrieved using the Danish Register of Medical Product Statistics. Trends in sales of DDDs per 1000 inhabitants per day were tabulated and illustrated graphically. From 1999 to 2021, the total sale of all selected drugs increased from 286 to 457 DDDs per 1000 inhabitants per day. The overall sale reached a preliminary peak in 2012 with 449 DDDs per 1000 inhabitants per day and remained relatively stable thereafter until reaching an all-time high in 2021 with 457 DDDs per 1000 inhabitants per day. Contributing with the majority in volume, sales of drugs inhibiting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) increased dramatically throughout the period. The same was observed for acetaminophen, methotrexate, tacrolimus, and iodinated contrast dye. In contrast, the sales of diuretics, acetylsalicylic acid, and ciclosporin decreased during the last decade of the study period. From 1999-2021 considerable changes in sales of potentially nephrotoxic drugs were observed. In general, the sales increased, in volume predominated by RAAS inhibiting drugs. This increase in sales of potential nephrotoxins could contribute to an increasing occurrence of kidney diseases.

Online but unlawful sales of unapproved and misbranded prescription drugs: Internet pharmacy compliance with Food and Drug Administration warning letters

AbstractConsumers increasingly use online pharmacies. However, illicit online pharmacies endanger consumer welfare with unapproved and counterfeit drugs. By linking Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning letter content with observations of the 1108 websites cited in those letters, we identify factors associated with FDA‐requested compliance and active/inactive website status. One in five online pharmacies failed to comply with FDA recommendations. Findings support the cost/benefit, social norm, and instrumental theories of compliance. Compliance declines with cost (e.g., when the FDA requests changes to more drug categories). Organized crime's social norms encourage law breaking; thus, illicit pharmacies comply less than other online pharmacies. Instrumental theory suggests perceived severity and certainty of penalties influences compliance. In support, when political will and attention focused on the opioid crisis, the FDA cited primarily opioid‐related violations and these opioid‐related letters increased compliance and website closures. Finally, we recommend improved consumer protection efforts to address internet pharmaceutical distribution challenges.

ОБЗОР РЫНКА АНТИБИОТИКОВ И ОЦЕНКА ПЕРСПЕКТИВ ЕГО РАЗВИТИЯ

The article presents the results of the study of the Russian market of antibiotics for 2012-2021. This work is relevant because it shows the changes that have occurred in this segment of the market, for the first time analyzes the consumption of antibiotics in terms of physical indicators in the context of groups, as well as shows the importance of antibiotics during the pandemic. The purpose of the work was a comprehensive analysis of the Russian market of antibiotics, the study of sales of various groups of antibiotics, including anticancer drugs. Materials and methods: We used data from the State Register of Medicines, the State Register of maximum selling prices, data from registration dossiers, and the DSM Group database of drug sales. Results and conclusions. The antibiotics market has changed significantly. Obsolete drugs (ampicillin, tetracyclines, cephalosporins of the first generation, etc.) are leaving the market, sales of drugs to treat antibiotic-resistant infections and anticancer antibiotics are increasing. During 2012-2021 the market doubled in monetary terms, but in physical terms - only by 10%, which indicates a significant increase in prices and changes in the range. Prices for imported drugs doubled in ten years, while prices for domestic drugs increased 3.3 times. A significant share both in rubles and in packages in all years was sales of drugs included in the VED list, and by 2021 the share increased to 71% and 87.5%, respectively. The list of strategically important drugs includes 18 antibiotics, while the VED list includes 56. According to the results of the analysis of regulatory approvals it was found that both lists by nomenclature are provided by 90% with domestic drugs and substances. The share of domestic antibiotic drugs in rubles increased from 12.6% to 33.4%, and in packages from 38.5% to 56.6%, which indicates the achievement of the target indicators of the pharmaceutical and medical industry development program in terms of sales in packages, but not in rubles.

Illegal Narcotics Circulation During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic: Forensic Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Business Organization and Criminal Law as a Foundation for the Interdisciplinary Study of Smuggling

This article is devoted to the analysis of illegal drug circulation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors discuss the relationship between forensic pharmacy, pharmaceutical business management, and criminal law as a foundation for the interdisciplinary study of drug smuggling. The article examines various aspects of drug smuggling, including the production, transportation, and sale of drugs, as well as their impact on public health during the pandemic. The author also examines the problem of the development of international criminal networks involved in drug smuggling and points to the need for cooperation between countries to combat this phenomenon. Finally, the article discusses the impact of the pandemic on the growth of illegal drug circulation and the need for additional measures to combat this problem.
 The article also examines the role of the forensic pharmaceutical case in the fight against drug smuggling. The mechanisms of control over the production and supply of drugs are considered. The authors draw attention to the importance of preventing drug smuggling and provide recommendations to prevent the spread of this problem.
 In general, the article provides a holistic overview of the problem of drug smuggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is one of the most pressing problems today. The authors show that this phenomenon is a complex problem that requires cooperation between different disciplines and international organizations. The importance of solving this problem is to protect public health and maintain law and order.