Medicines Safety in Peru

Main ideas, concepts, and lessons

• Purpose of medication safety work in Peru

  • The speaker describes a role focused on monitoring the safety of medicines across the healthcare system.
  • The work is done in partnership with:
    • the pharmaceutical industry
    • health professionals
    • staff in clinics, hospitals, health centers, and health posts
    • patients
  • The ultimate goal is to identify problems related to how medicines are used, not only side effects.

• What “medication problems” includes (not just adverse reactions)

  • Negative outcomes tied to medicine use include:
    • adverse reactions
    • lack of efficacy (medicine doesn’t work as intended)
    • administration errors (mistakes in how medicines are given/used)
  • The overarching lesson is to prevent and avoid unnecessary risk from any negative consequence of medication use.

• Combating illegal or unsafe medicines

  • The video highlights illegal trade issues such as:
    • expired medications
    • allegedly counterfeit medications
    • smuggled medications
  • The response strategy involves a multidisciplinary team, including police and the prosecutor’s office (along with other authorities).
  • They conduct nationwide operations to:
    • identify sellers of these products
    • remove unsafe/illegal medicines from the market

• Challenges specific to Peru’s geography and access

  • Peru is described as geographically complex, affecting healthcare delivery:
    • divided by the Andes Mountains
    • surrounded by the ocean and the Amazon River
  • Major access barriers include:
    • poverty, which limits access to basic health services
    • remote communities, where distance is a primary obstacle
    • the need for people to walk long hours to reach facilities
    • the possibility that, even after reaching care, they may still not afford medications

• How low-quality medicines proliferate and why they’re dangerous

  • The situation is described as being exploited by sellers of low-quality medications at low prices.
  • These products may harm health rather than help.

• Ongoing solutions and priorities

  • The General Directorate of Medicines frames the challenge as requiring continued control and prevention.
  • Ongoing efforts include:
    • strengthening pharmacovigilance (monitoring and reporting medicine safety issues)
    • raising awareness among stakeholders
    • improving communication between health professionals and patients
  • The speaker states that they believe progress is being made.

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Methodology / approach presented

• Medication safety monitoring

  • Monitor medicine safety across healthcare establishments (clinics, hospitals, health centers, health posts).
  • Work hand-in-hand with:
    • the pharmaceutical industry
    • health professionals
    • patients
  • Identify a broad set of medication-related problems, including:
    • adverse reactions
    • lack of efficacy
    • administration errors
  • Focus on prevention and avoiding unnecessary risk.

• Illegal medicine control

  • Detect and act against illegal products such as:
    • expired medicines
    • counterfeit medicines
    • smuggled medicines
  • Use a multidisciplinary enforcement model:
    • police
    • the prosecutor’s office
    • other authorities
  • Conduct nationwide operations to:
    • find sellers
    • remove illegal/unsafe products from the market

• Capacity building and communication

  • Strengthen pharmacovigilance through collaboration with:
    • universities
    • the health/pharmaceutical industry
    • health professionals
  • Emphasize close communication with patients.

• Address access barriers (context-driven solution)

  • Recognize obstacles caused by:
    • distance in remote communities
    • poverty limiting the ability to buy medicines
  • Counter the risks created when low-quality medicines are sold as cheap alternatives.

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Speakers / sources featured

• Unnamed speaker: A representative from Peru’s General Directorate of Medicines (Ministry of Health context). (Personal name appears unclear due to subtitle errors.)
• Institutional sources mentioned
  • Ministry of Health (including hospitals and related institutions)
  • General Directorate of Medicines
  • Police
  • Prosecutor’s office
  • Universities
  • Pharmaceutical/healthcare industry
  • Health professionals and patients (as collaborators)