Many poor-quality medicines are supplied to patients mainly in developing countries.\nNo systematic survey on counterfeit medicines has been conducted in Myanmar since 1999.\nThe purpose of this study was to investigate the current situation of substandard or counterfeit\nmedicines in Myanmar. Samples of oral medicines, cefuroxime axetil (CXM), donepezil hydrochloride\n(DN) and omeprazole (OM), and injections, ceftriaxone sodium (CTRX), and gentamicin sulfate (GM),\nwere collected from pharmacies, hospitals, and wholesalers in Yangon, Myanmar in 2014. Authenticity\nand quality were verified. There were 221 (94%) foreign medicines among 235 collected samples.\nFive samples of GM and 1 DN sample were not registered with the Food and Drug Administration,\nMyanmar. In quality analysis, 36 samples out of 177 (20.3%) did not pass quantity tests, 27 samples\nout of 176 (15.3%) did not pass content uniformity tests, and 23 out of 128 samples (18.0%) did\nnot pass dissolution tests. Three of the unregistered GM samples failed in both identification and\nmicrobial assay tests. Counterfeit GM is being sold in Yangon. Also, the quality of OM is a matter of\nconcern. Poor-quality medicines were frequently found among the products of a few manufacturers.\nRegular surveys to monitor counterfeit and substandard medicines in Myanmar are recommended.
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