Cardiovascular research in India: a perspective.

With cardiovascular disease (CVD) emerging as a major cause of mortality in India, clinical research in CVD is becoming increasingly important. There are several favorable factors that offer robust growth of clinical research infrastructure in India: well-established system of governance, a large investment in medical education infrastructure, growing interest in building capacity in clinical research, the presence of regulatory mechanisms governing clinical research, a large pharmaceutical industry, and a highly developed information technology and data processing infrastructure. However, the lack of trained research manpower, inadequate public spending on health, uneven distribution of health infrastructure, and the large prevalence of pretransitional diseases are major weakness in undertaking high-quality clinical research in CVD. Analysis of the contemporary scenario reveals that there are 3 important opportunities for clinical research in India: the need to identify low cost but cutting edge and context-specific interventions to address the health needs of India's large population, the potential for high-quality research, and the high degree of interest (domestically and internationally) in investing in clinical research education and infrastructure.

Exploring Barriers to Medication Adherence Using COM-B Model of Behaviour Among Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Qualitative Study.

INTRODUCTION: In 2016, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) led to 17.9 million deaths worldwide, representing 31% of all global deaths. CVDs are the leading cause of mortality worldwide and significant barriers to achieving the sustainable development goals. Modern medicines have been significant in improving health outcomes. However, non-adherence to medication is one of the reasons behind adverse health-related outcomes among patients suffering from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in low- and middle-income countries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted at two tertiary care hospitals in India and Ghana. A total of 35 in-depth interviews were conducted with atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) patients. The data were analysed thematically using the Capability Opportunity and Motivation (COM-B) framework. FINDINGS: The findings were summarised under three important broad themes of the COM-B framework: capability, opportunity and behaviour. Under capability, comprehension of disease, medication schedule, and unplanned travel affected adherence among patients. Cost of medication, insurance and access were the critical factors under opportunity, which negatively influenced medication adherence. Mood, beliefs about treatment and outcome expectations under motivation led to non-adherence among patients. Apart from these factors, some important health system factors such as health care experience and trust in the facilities and reliance on alternative medication also affected adherence in both countries. CONCLUSION: This study has highlighted that the health system factors have dominantly influenced adherence to medication in India and Ghana. In India, we found participants to be satisfied with their health care provided at the government hospitals. However, limited time for consultation, lack of well-stocked pharmacy and unclear prescription negatively influenced adherence among participants in India and Ghana. The study emphasises that the health system needs to be strengthened, and the patients' belief system needs to be explored to address the issue of medication adherence in LMICs.

Equivalence in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient of Generic Antihypertensive Medicines Available in Nigeria (EQUIMEDS): A Case for Further Surveillance.

BACKGROUND: Widespread access to good quality antihypertensive medicines is a critical component for reducing premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Poor-quality medicines pose serious health concerns; however, there remains a knowledge gap about the quality of cardiovascular medicines available in low- and middle-income countries. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the quality of generic antihypertensive medicines available in the retail market of a developing country. METHODS: Samples of the 2 most commonly prescribed classes of antihypertensive medicines were collected from 3 states in 3 different geopolitical zones in Nigeria following a semirandom sampling framework. Medicine samples were purchased by mystery shoppers from 22 pharmacy outlets from 6 local government areas across the 3 states. Medicine quality was determined by measuring the amount of stated active pharmaceutical ingredient using high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and classified according to their compliance to the specified pharmacopeia tolerance limits for each antihypertensive drug. RESULTS: Amlodipine and lisinopril were identified as the most commonly prescribed antihypertensive drugs in Nigeria. In total, 361 samples from 22 pharmacies were collected and tested. In total, 24.6% of amlodipine and 31.9% of lisinopril samples were of substandard quality and significantly more samples purchased in rural (59 of 161, 36.7%) compared with urban (32 of 200, 16%) outlets were found to be of substandard quality (p < 0.001). No falsified samples of either amlodipine or lisinopril were detected. There was large variation in price paid for the antihypertensive medicines (range ₦150 to ₦9,750). Of the 24 pharmacy outlets surveyed, 46% stated that patients did not always require a prescription and 21% had previously reported a medicine as falsified or substandard. CONCLUSIONS: More than one-quarter of some commonly prescribed antihypertensive medicines available in Nigeria may be of substandard quality. Enhanced quality assurance processes in low- and middle-income countries, such as Nigeria, are needed to support optimum management.