Health, Economic, and Social Impacts of Substandard and Falsified Medicines in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of Methodological Approaches

Little is known about the adverse health, economic, and social impacts of substandard and falsified medicines (SFMs). This systematic review aimed to identify the methods used in studies to measure the impact of SFMs in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), summarize their findings, and identify gaps in the reviewed literature. A search of eight databases for published papers, and a manual search of references in the relevant literature were con-ducted using synonyms of SFMs and LMICs. Studies in the English language that estimated the health, social, or economic impacts of SFMs in LMICs published before June 17, 2022 were considered eligible. Search results generated 1,078 articles, and 11 studies were included after screening and quality assessment. All included studies focused on countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Six studies used the Substandard and Falsified Antimalarials Research Impact model to estimate the impact of SFMs. This model is an important contribution. However, it is technically challenging and data demanding, which poses challenges to its adoption by national academics and policymakers alike. The included studies estimate that substandard and falsified antimalarial medicines can account from 10% to similar to 40% of total annual malaria costs, and SFMs affect rural and poor populations disproportionately. Evidence on the impact of SFMs is limited in general and nonexistent regarding social outcomes. Further research needs to focus on practical methods that can serve local authorities without major investments in terms of technical capacity and data collection.

Automated summary

This systematic review examines the methods used to measure the impact of substandard and falsified medicines (SFMs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), summarizes the findings, and identifies gaps in the literature. The included studies estimate that SFMs can account for a significant proportion of annual malaria costs, affecting rural and poor populations disproportionately. However, evidence on the impact of SFMs is limited and further research is needed to develop practical methods for assessing their effects.