The adoption of ICT and robotic automation systems in the pharmaceutical industry

Background: South African pharmacies face challenges like cost reduction, inventory management, and employee efficiency. Balancing dispensing error rates and customer satisfaction, along with ensuring accurate medication dispensing, is also crucial. An effective solution to these challenges is adopting automatic robotic dispensing systems, which enhance stock inventory management, integrated systems, and accurate dispensing capabilities. Objectives: The study delved into IT and robotic automation in South African pharmaceutical dispensing, assessing current methods and advocating for integrated IT and Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems in retail and hospital pharmacies. Method: The research used a quantitative approach to gather data from public and private hospital pharmacy employees, aiming to understand their requirements and expectations. It assessed the potential improvements that could result from adopting a new system. Results: The study found that most government and private pharmacies in South Africa prefer automated dispensing systems to reduce errors, lower costs, improve customer service, and enhance inventory management. Benefits also included minimising medication errors, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring patient safety. Conclusion: The study holds importance as it underscores the necessity of integrating Information Technology (IT) and Robotic Automation in the pharmaceutical sector to address prevailing issues. It identifies factors contributing to medication dispensing errors and demonstrates the potential of automated robotic systems in mitigating these errors. Contribution: South Africa's pharmaceutical sector must enhance efficiency and competitiveness by adopting integrated IT and Robotic Automation Systems. The study identified key factors for future implementation and emphasized the need for clear pre-implementation policies outlining functions and benefits.

Trends and Challenges in Access to Essential Medicines in Ethiopia and the Contributions of Local Pharmaceutical Production

Decades ago, the United Nations declared that access to essential medicines was a key element of universal human rights. Accordingly, member states have been striving to address this issue through strategic policies and programs. Strengthening local pharmaceutical production has been a pivotal strategy adopted by many developing countries including Ethiopia. The government of Ethiopia identified local pharmaceutical production as a key industrial sector and has been implementing a ten-years strategic plan to improve capabilities and attract investment. Such support is needed because local production could satisfy only 15 to 20% of the national demand, typically from a limited portfolio of medicines in conventional dosage forms. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases has accentuated the need for a more sustainable supply to reduce reliance on imports and increase access to essential medicines. A full understanding of the structure, constraints and complexities of the Ethiopian pharmaceutical market structure is vital to direct effective policies, target most impactful investments and exploit opportunities for leapfrogging. Hence, the purpose of this review was to assess the trends and challenges in access to essential medicines and local pharmaceutical production in Ethiopia. Literature search through major databases and review of policy documents and performance reports from relevant sector institutions were made to extract information for the review

Investment case for the national health strategy 2021-2025

The Government and stakeholders in the health sector aspire to realize improved health outcomes for all, including the vulnerable and marginalized, to enhance Zimbabwe's human capital development towards a prosperous and empowered upper-middle income society. Zimbabwe's National Health Strategy (2021- 2025) was therefore developed, not only to advance its vision and goal for the next 5 years, but to also act as a guide on priority health interventions in the sector in order to improve the country's economy and overall wellbeing of the citizens. As such, the strategy is aligned with the National Development Strategy 1 (2021-2025). Chief among the NDS 1 priorities will be sustainable economic growth, anchored on sector specific growth enablers ­ such as infrastructure, human resources, technology, macroeconomic stability, financial stability, and sustainable public debt management. Focus on transformational value chains, international re-engagement, enablers for improved social welfare and inclusive growth (such as health, food security, effective governance and community and youth participation) complete the priority list of the NDS 1 2021-2025. The NHS 2021-2025 also considers a number of programme specific strategies in the health sector. These include the Human Resources for Health Strategy, National Infrastructure Development Plan, the HIV and AIDS Strategy, the Non-Communicable Disease Strategy, Mental Health Strategy, and the Community Health Strategy. The NHS 2021-2025 is anchored on the concept of an Investment Case. The NHS investment case outlines how the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ), in partnership with donors, will efficiently save lives, improve health and nutrition outcomes and accelerate the attainment of national goals in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The NHS investment case considered the results and lessons learnt from the Mid Term Review of the National Health Strategy 2016-2020 and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019. NHS Investment Case used the World Health Organization (WHO)'s One Health Tool, which focuses on estimating the cost of Health Services and Health Systems Strengthening while the effectiveness of health interventions was estimated using the disease specific Impact Models and the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). Results were customized to the Ministry's Programme Based Budgeting format, which required that programmes be grouped first into 4 broad categories; Policy and Administration, Public Health; Curative Services and Bio- Medical Science Engineering and Pharmaceutical Production. The development of the National Health Strategy Investment Case was spearheaded by a taskforce led by MoHCC with technical assistance from its development partners. Technical Working Groups (TWGs) on Investment Case and Health Financing were set up to support the costing of the NHS. These TWGs drew membership from the MoHCC, MoFED, Development Partners and NGOs and Civil Society Organisations. These technical working groups identified the interventions and activities to be costed and also assisted in the prioritization of the interventions. 13 Mini

Method Development and Validations: Characterization of Critical Elements in the Development of Pharmaceuticals

Although a thorough validation cannot rule out all potential problems; the process of method development and validation should address the most common ones. Examples of typical problems that can be minimized or avoided are synthesis impurities that co-elute with the analyte peak in an HPLC assay; a particular type of column that no longer produces the separation needed because the supplier of the column has changed the manufacturing process; an assay method that is transferred to a second laboratory where they are unable to achieve the same detection limit; and a quality assurance audit of a validation report that finds no documentation on how the method was performed during the validation. Problems increase as additional people; laboratories; and equipment are used to perform the method. When the method is used in the developer's laboratory; a small adjustment can usually be made to make the method work; but the flexibility to change it is lost once the method is transferred to other laboratories or used for official product testing. This is especially true in the pharmaceutical industry; where methods are submitted to regulatory agencies and changes may require formal approval before they can be implemented for official testing. The best way to minimize method problems is to perform adequate validation experiments during development

Optimization of pharmaceutical formulations for therapy

A pharmaceutical formulation is aimed at ensuring drug delivery at the site of action in order to produce the desired therapeutic effect. The design of a pharmaceutical formulation must reflect the chemical reactivity of the drug substance as well as those of any other substances that are used in the formulation. Standardized manufacturing procedures which conform to accepted codes of Good Manufacturing Practices are prerequisites for the preparation of pharmaceutical formulations for optimal drug delivery. Drug formulations produced by such methods are expected to have the desired bioavailability characteristics for pharmacotherapy. The different types of pharmaceutical formulations usually prepared for administration by various routes are aimed at achieving the most appropriate drug delivery system for each drug. When necessary; special drug delivery systems are designed to achieve this objective. Advances in biotechnology has led to production of labile substances for use as drugs in therapy and this has created new challenges in the development of novel drug delivery systems. [abstract terminated]