Does the advertisement in Swiss pharmacy windows rest on evidence-based medicine? An observational study
Tanja Känzig1,2, Melisa Potterat2, Thibault Corpataux2
1Emergency, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland kaenzigt@gmail.com.
Objectives:
The aim of the study was to analyse the proportion of evidence-based medication displayed in pharmacies and compare it between the different linguistic regions of the country, at different times of the year to determine the amount of proven effective medications indirectly recommended to the public in different parts of Switzerland.
Design:
This is an observational study conducted by medical doctors in the department of internal medicine at the Spitalzentrum Biel, Switzerland.
Setting:
The observation took place from July 2019 to May 2020. From a total of 1800 pharmacies in Switzerland, 68 different pharmacies were selected across the 3 main linguistic regions and the medication on display in their windows were examined 4 times a year regarding their efficacy. The displays of medication with or without evidence-based efficacy were described using absolute numbers and proportions and compared between the different linguistic regions at different seasons using χ2.
Participants:
There were no human or animal participants involved in this study.
Primary And Secondary Outcome Measures:
The primary outcome is the proportion of medication displayed in pharmacy windows with a proven effectiveness in medical literature. The secondary outcome was the variability of the primary outcome over time (seasonal changes), over the different linguistic regions of Switzerland and between chains and privately owned pharmacies.
Results:
We examined 970 medications and found that over the whole year, there is a high proportion of non-evidence-based drugs (56,9%) displayed in pharmacies. Swiss German cantons display significantly more non-evidence-based medications in winter. We found no statistical difference for other seasons or between chains and privately owned pharmacies.
Conclusion:
Pharmacies in Switzerland tend to display significantly more non-evidence-based drugs, thus indirectly recommending them to the public. In a time of necessary expansion of self-medication by the population, this could incite consumers to buy drugs without proven effectiveness.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:19Pharmacovigilance
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
02:07Blind Procedures
01:25Drug Regulation
01:02Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
01:16Clinical Trials
There are four phases in a clinical trial. A phase one...