ABSTRACT
The antibiotic amoxicillin is usually recommended as a first-line treatment for many common infections affecting children. Repeated lockdowns related to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic have contributed to supply difficulties for many drugs, including antibiotics. However, the risks associated with amoxicillin supply shortages appear not to have been sufficiently assessed, and the crisis we are facing today is serious and particularly dangerous for children's health. Without rigorous measures to prevent shortages related to drug production and distribution, populations could face a post-antibiotic era in which common infections and minor injuries can result in serious life-threatening situations. The availability of medicines declared by WHO as essential should be guaranteed not only in production but also in fair distribution. And this principle must be ensured by national and international regulatory agencies.Copyright © 2023 Medico e Bambino. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The antibiotic amoxicillin is usually recommended as a first-line treatment for many common infections affecting children. Repeated lockdowns related to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic have contributed to supply difficulties for many drugs, including antibiotics. However, the risks associated with amoxicillin supply shortages appear not to have been sufficiently assessed, and the crisis we are facing today is serious and particularly dangerous for children's health. Without rigorous measures to prevent shortages related to drug production and distribution, populations could face a post-antibiotic era in which common infections and minor injuries can result in serious life-threatening situations. The availability of medicines declared by WHO as essential should be guaranteed not only in production but also in fair distribution. And this principle must be ensured by national and international regulatory agencies. © 2023 Medico e Bambino. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Despite substantial advancements in healthcare systems and management, little progress has been achieved in addressing supply chain constraints such as, inefficient purchasing, ordering, predicting, and administration procedures. Healthcare authorities needs to effectively manage the healthcare supply chain processes not just during pandemics like COVID-19, but also in their everyday operations to guarantee best possible services. Product recalls, product supply shortage monitoring, expiry, and counterfeiting are some of the critical healthcare supply chain operations which must be ensured. Our suggested solution combines blockchain technology and distributed storage to increase transparency, improve stakeholder communication, and shorten product procurement timelines while eliminating crucial disparities and faults. We present a generic framework for the healthcare supply chain, equipped with comprehensive algorithms showing various stakeholder interactions. Our system uses the Ethereum network to link all parties, including the healthcare authority, manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, and healthcare provider. Remix IDE platform was used to develop and test the smart contract codes. As decentralized storage, we have used the combination of InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) and Hyperledger Fabric. We have also examined a variety of security issues, provided a cost analysis of the various transactions proposed in our solution while making comparison with similar blockchain-based solutions. © 2022 Owner/Author.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 shock affected the global economy mainly through the col-lapse of demand, labour supply and industrial output, supply chains, commodity prices, international trade and capital flows. From the second half of 2020, various bottlenecks (logistical disruptions;shortages of raw materials and parts) in the EU economy have had a growing impact on growth. Following the recurrent pandemic shocks, the war shock has caused further severe supply-side disruptions from February 2022 onwards, in particular in raw materials markets (including energy sources and agricultural raw materials) and international logistics. Supply shortages in the EU have not only a one-off but also a ripple effect throughout the economy. Spill-over effects across Member States are of great importance. Together, the shortages of production inputs can have a significant negative impact on output and the recovery of the economy. At the same time, supply-side shocks can have a significant impact on the restructuring of supply chains, the deepening of green and digital transformation, and productivity growth. © 2022, Economic Laboratory for Transition Research. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
This study assessed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the performance of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria using the quasi-experimental research design. Specifically, the study was designed to address three (3) key concerns-how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted on the level of profitability, customers’ patronage and product supply shortages using SMEs owners and hired managers in Warri, Asaba and Ughelli metropolis in Delta State of Nigeria. To do this, a questionnaire was sent to one hundred and thirty (130) respondents and data obtained were analyzed by means of both descriptive (simple percentage, mean, median, standard deviation, variance, skewness and correlation) and inferential (regression and variance inflation factor – VIF) statistical techniques. The findings of the study indicated thattheCovid-19 pandemic negatively and significantly affected the level of profitability, customers’ patronage levels and product supply shortages of SMEs in Delta State of Nigeria. On the basis of the findings, it is recommended, among other things, that the Nigerian government should provide more funds for SMEs;such funds are required to cushion the negative impacttheCovid-19 pandemic imposes on SMEs level of profitability, customers’ patronage and product supply shortages. Again, the government and regulatory agencies of SMEs should gear efforts towards organizing seminars on how businesses can be carried out in a pandemic;this would further pave the way for enhancing SMEs operators’ knowledge on how businesses can be carried out when a pandemic surfaces now or in the future. © 2022 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
Hydroxychloroquine is an antimalarial drug with immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. It has a good safety profile, can be used in children and in pregnant and breastfeeding women, and does not suppress the immune system. Regular screening for retinopathy, one of the drug's most feared adverse effects, is necessary. Hydroxychloroquine is a widely used, essential drug in dermatology. Clinical response rates are good in lupus erythematous, where it is a first-line therapy, as well in numerous autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, including lichen planus, polymorphic light eruption, porphyria cutanea tarda, granuloma annulare, and sarcoidosis. In 2020, it was widely prescribed both to prevent and to treat COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2. Its increased use led to serious supply shortages and in some cases stocks were entirely depleted. Recent meta-analyses have concluded that hydroxychloroquine is ineffective against COVID-19 and have advised against its use.
La hidroxicloroquina es un antimalárico con acción inmunomoduladora, antiinflamatoria, antibacteriana y antiviral. Posee un buen perfil de seguridad y puede ser utilizada en niños, en mujeres embarazadas o durante la lactancia, y no produce inmunosupresión. La retinopatía es uno de sus efectos adversos más temidos y requiere controles regulares. La hidroxicloroquina es un fármaco esencial en dermatología, utilizado ampliamente con buenas tasas de respuesta clínica tanto como un tratamiento de primera línea en el lupus eritematoso, como en múltiples dermatosis autoinmunes/inflamatorias como liquen plano, erupción polimorfa lumínica, porfiria cutánea tarda, granuloma anular y sarcoidosis, entre otras. Durante el año 2020 fue prescrita a gran escala como profilaxis y tratamiento de la infección producida por el coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). El aumento de la utilización de hidroxicloroquina produjo serias dificultades para su obtención e incluso desabastecimiento. En metaanálisis recientes se ha concluido que la hidroxicloroquina no es efectiva para el tratamiento de esta patología y se desaconseja su prescripción.
ABSTRACT
Hydroxychloroquine is an antimalarial drug with immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. It has a good safety profile, can be used in children and in pregnant and breastfeeding women, and does not suppress the immune system. Regular screening for retinopathy, one of the drug's most feared adverse effects, is necessary. Hydroxychloroquine is a widely used, essential drug in dermatology. Clinical response rates are good in lupus erythematous, where it is a first-line therapy, as well in numerous autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, including lichen planus, polymorphic light eruption, porphyria cutanea tarda, granuloma annulare, and sarcoidosis. In 2020, it was widely prescribed both to prevent and to treat COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2. Its increased use led to serious supply shortages and in some cases stocks were entirely depleted. Recent meta-analyses have concluded that hydroxychloroquine is ineffective against COVID-19 and have advised against its use.
ABSTRACT
In the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., consumers experienced surprising shortages of essential goods that appeared to be unrelated to the pandemic: toilet paper, yeast and flour, and meat cuts. The usual explanations-attributing these shortages to demand spikes-often failed to provide an adequate explanation or predicted only temporary shortages. But these shortages ended up being real supply-chain struggles for which the true causes revealed a deeper set of unusual causes. Our detailed analysis of these supply chains identifies overlooked failure factors and hidden causes. We conclude with the profound lessons learned from the pandemic crisis on supply chains and the implied challenges of building resilient supply chains for the future, which require rethinking the relevant systems we plan and optimize. The level of investment required for building firm-specific redundancy of assets and operational flexibility might be prohibitive for any one firm, or their financial stakeholders, to pursue and accept.