Nino-Orrego Maria Jose, Baracaldo-Santamaría Daniela, Patricia Ortiz Claudia, Zuluaga Heyde Patricia, Cruz-Becerra Sthefany Alejandra, Soler Franklin, Pérez-Acosta Andrés M, Delgado Daniel Ricardo, Calderon-Ospina Carlos-Alberto
Center for Research in Genetics and Genomics (CIGGUR), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
Pharmacology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
Ther Adv Drug Saf. 2022 May 24;13:20420986221101964. doi: 10.1177/20420986221101964. eCollection 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the behavior of self-medication (SM). Given the massive release of misleading information during the pandemic, some pharmacies recommend drugs such as ivermectin, azithromycin, and hydroxychloroquine that are not useful for preventing or treating COVID-19 and could expose patients to unnecessary adverse drug reactions (ADRs), drug-drug interactions (DDIs), disease masking, and antibiotic resistance.
SM with drugs advertised for COVID-19 can have consequences, and people should be aware of approved uses, potential contraindications, and ADRs. Thus, the aim of this study was to know the drug therapies including natural products and homeopathic drugs offered by Colombian pharmaceutical establishments for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, as well as the information provided on the safe use of the product.
An observational, cross-sectional mystery shopping study was carried out to determine the pharmaceutical alternatives for the management of COVID-19 offered by pharmaceutical establishments (drugstores, pharmacies, homeopathic pharmacies, and nutritional supplements stores) in Colombia, and information related to the safe use of the product. The study included 482 pharmaceutical establishments from 16 Colombian departments. Data collection was done through telephone calls to each of the establishments following an interview protocol pretending to be a patient who presents symptoms related to COVID-19.
About 57.3% (276) of the establishments recommended a product for the treatment of COVID-19 infection, 66.6% (321) asked whether the caller had COVID-19 symptoms and what they are, and 44.2% (213) suggested taking a COVID-19 test. Of 59 drugs suggested by pharmacies, the most recommended were azithromycin, ivermectin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and ASA (aspirin). From the establishments that recommended a product, dosage was indicated in 85.5% (236) of the pharmaceutical establishments and 14.5% (40) of the establishments reported the most common adverse effects of this substance. About 9.4% (26) of the establishments reported possible interactions of the recommended drugs and substances with food, beverages, or supplements. Pharmaceutical establishments in Colombia seem to have significantly contributed to self-medication for COVID-19 in Colombia during the pandemic. This behavior is inappropriate, since the mild forms of the disease do not have a specific treatment.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the behavior of self-medication (SM). Given the massive release of misleading information during the pandemic, some pharmacies recommend drugs such as ivermectin, azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine among others, which are not useful for preventing or treating COVID-19 and could expose patients to unnecessary side effects and interactions with other medications. People should be aware of the approved and non-approved uses, and potential side effects of these drugs. The aim of this study was to know the drugs, including natural products and homeopathic drugs, offered by Colombian pharmaceutical establishments for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, as well as the information provided on the safe use of the product. The study was done using the mystery shopping method, collecting data through telephone calls to each of the establishments by a trained individual pretending to be a patient with COVID-19 symptoms. The study included 482 pharmaceutical establishments from 16 Colombian departments. Of 59 drugs suggested by pharmacies, the most recommended were azithromycin, ivermectin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and aspirin. The recommended dose was indicated in 85.5% (236) of the pharmaceutical establishments, and 14.5% (40) of them reported the most common adverse effects of the recommended product. About 9.4% (26) of the establishments reported possible interactions of the recommended drugs and substances with food, beverages, or supplements. The majority of the pharmaceutical establishments included in the study promoted inadequate self-medication for COVID-19 in Colombia during the pandemic.
新冠疫情导致自我药疗行为增加。鉴于疫情期间大量误导性信息的传播，一些药店推荐使用伊维菌素、阿奇霉素和羟氯喹等对预防或治疗新冠病毒病并无作用的药物，这些药物可能会使患者面临不必要的药物不良反应、药物相互作用、疾病掩盖及抗生素耐药性问题。
使用宣传用于新冠病毒病的药物进行自我药疗可能会产生后果，人们应了解其获批用途、潜在禁忌和药物不良反应。因此，本研究的目的是了解哥伦比亚制药机构提供的用于预防和治疗新冠病毒病的药物疗法，包括天然产品和顺势疗法药物，以及所提供的关于产品安全使用的信息。
开展了一项观察性横断面神秘顾客研究，以确定哥伦比亚的制药机构（药店、药房、顺势疗法药房和营养补充剂商店）提供的用于管理新冠病毒病的药物替代品，以及与产品安全使用相关的信息。该研究涵盖了来自哥伦比亚16个部门的482家制药机构。数据收集是通过按照访谈协议致电每家机构来完成的，假装是一名出现与新冠病毒病相关症状的患者。
约57.3%（276家）机构推荐了用于治疗新冠病毒感染的产品，66.6%（321家）询问来电者是否有新冠病毒病症状以及症状是什么，44.2%（213家）建议进行新冠病毒检测。在药店推荐的59种药物中，最常被推荐的是阿奇霉素、伊维菌素、对乙酰氨基酚、布洛芬和阿司匹林。在推荐了产品的机构中，85.5%（236家）制药机构指明了剂量，14.5%（40家）机构报告了该物质最常见的不良反应。约9.4%（26家）机构报告了所推荐药物和物质与食物、饮料或补充剂之间可能存在的相互作用。哥伦比亚的制药机构在疫情期间似乎对哥伦比亚的新冠病毒病自我药疗起到了显著的推动作用。这种行为是不恰当的，因为该疾病的轻症形式并无特定治疗方法。
新冠疫情导致自我药疗行为增加。鉴于疫情期间大量误导性信息的传播，一些药店推荐伊维菌素、阿奇霉素、羟氯喹等药物，这些药物对预防或治疗新冠病毒病并无作用，可能会使患者面临不必要的副作用以及与其他药物的相互作用。人们应了解这些药物的获批和未获批用途以及潜在副作用。本研究的目的是了解哥伦比亚制药机构提供的用于预防和治疗新冠病毒病的药物，包括天然产品和顺势疗法药物，以及所提供的关于产品安全使用的信息。该研究采用神秘顾客法，由一名经过培训的人员假装是一名有新冠病毒病症状的患者，通过致电每家机构来收集数据。该研究涵盖了来自哥伦比亚16个部门的482家制药机构。在药店推荐的59种药物中，最常被推荐的是阿奇霉素、伊维菌素、对乙酰氨基酚、布洛芬和阿司匹林。85.5%（236家）制药机构指明了推荐剂量，其中14.5%（40家）报告了所推荐产品最常见的不良反应。约9.4%（26家）机构报告了所推荐药物和物质与食物、饮料或补充剂之间可能存在的相互作用。研究中的大多数制药机构在疫情期间推动了哥伦比亚不恰当的新冠病毒病自我药疗行为。
