Quality of antimicrobials in East Africa along the supply chain: from the local to the global
Supervisors:
Dr Harriet Auty, School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Prof Mike Barrett, School of Infection & Immunity
Prof Jude Robinson, School of Social & Political Sciences
Prof Bernhard Reinsberg, School of Social & Political Sciences
Summary:
Increasing access to quality-assured antimicrobials is critical in low-resource settings given the high infectious disease burden. Yet, access to essential medicines for protecting human and animal health is often undermined in these settings, because of the low quality of such medicines. A further problem relates to the emergence of resistance to existing drugs. Risks of resistance development are likely exacerbated by the widespread use of sub-standard drugs containing inadequate levels of active drug which provides potentially the ideal conditions in which drug-resistance can be selected. Quality has traditionally been examined from pharmacological perspectives. Focusing on veterinary antimicrobials in subsistence farming communities of northern Tanzania, this project will expand such assessments to incorporate socio-economic-political dimensions of quality that likely define which (poor-quality) products infiltrate the supply chain and the reasons for this. This will be achieved through the integration of laboratory-based analytical tools to identify substandard and counterfeit drugs with social-science focused methods to understand perceptions of and beliefs on quality that influence product choices by key end users (consumers, healthcare providers, medicine sellers, wholesalers and regulators) along the antimicrobial supply chain. As such, applicants will gain highly interdisciplinary skills transferable to a range of health-related research areas.