The Libyan Journal of Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacology

ANALYSIS OF INFORMATIVE AND PERSUASIVE CONTENT IN PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY BROCHURES IN LIBYA

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Objective: To examine the patterns of promoted drugs, the quality of information provided, the references cited, and the persuasive techniques used in pharmaceutical brochures in Libya.
Method: Cross-sectional analysis of pharmaceutical brochures collected between August and November 2010 from doctors’ offices in three cities: Tripoli, Benghazi and Sebha.
Result: From 300 collected brochures, we took190 promotional materials for 132 promoted products. Antibiotics (n=52; 27%) made up the largest proportion. Cardiovascular products (n=39; 20.5%) came next, with antihypertensive agents (n=23) approximately six-tenths (58.9%) and statins (n=9) nearly a quarter (23%) of that class. Twenty seven products (14.2%) were gastrointestinal tract agents (GITs) and 10 of the GITs were proton pump inhibiters (PPIs). Over 90% of brochures provided the generic name, indications, dosage regimen and brief pharmacological effects of the drugs they advertised. However, information on contraindications, precautions, pregnancy and lactation, and adverse effects appeared in only 70.5% of advertisements. Drug Overdose information appeared in only 33% of brochures, and out of the 134 (70%) of brochures that cited references, only 28 (20.8%) of these brochures cited their references appropriately. Only four of the advertisements displayed the generic name as prominently as the brand name and most (n=136; 71.5%) used only the trade name in the prescribing information section. Graphical presentations, emotional texts and pictorial content appeared in 60%, 88.9%, and 96.3%of brochures respectively.
Conclusion: Almost all brochures did not adhere to WHO ethical criteria for drug promotion and mostly relied on persuasive techniques .

PHARMACY EDUCATION AND PROFESSION IN LIBYA: FUTURE PERSPECTIVE

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A SELECTION OF TRANSGENIC ANIMAL MODELS USED IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

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The term transgenic animal refers to an animal whose genetic composition has been altered by an addition of foreign DNA. The introduced DNA is called a transgene and the overall process is called transgenic technology. These terms now include the use of living organisms or their parts to make or modify products, to change the characteristics of plants or animals, or to develop micro-organisms for
specific uses that currently include several plants and a number of animal species. During the last two decades, transgenic animal model has been an essential mainstay tool in refining our understanding to gene regulation and function of both biological systems and human diseases. The aims of this review article are 1) to elaborate on how transgenic technology is being used to develop the next genera-
tion of animal models and 2) to provide an update of the recent advances and a possible structure design for future studies. This review covers the most used animal models of some human disease and specifically discusses two studies conducted on a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) that reproduced specific features of the histopathology and neurobiology of
Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This report is presented with the hope to provide both educational and practical basis for the use of these informative animal models.