An Assessment of the Extent of Use of Off-License and Unlicensed Drugs on Children at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe

This study was undertaken to assess the extent of use of unlicensed and off-license drugs on children at Parirenyatwa Teaching Hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe. The study was conducted in the two pediatric wards at the hospital. Data on three hundred patients aged 5 years and below was collected prospectively. Ten percent of the pediatric patients at Parirenyatwa Hospital aged five years and below received at least one drug in an off-license way while 31 % received at least one drug in an unlicensed way. Fifty nine percent of the patients received licensed drugs in a licensed way. There is a significant amount of unlicensed and off-license use of drugs at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe. Regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical industry should re-double their efforts in order to ensure that children receive only well-tolerated and effective medicines. Keywords : Children, off-label medicines, unlicensed drugs, licensing. The East and Central African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol. 8 (3) 2005: pp 3-7