Drug promotional activities in Nigeria : impact on the prescribing patterns and practices of medical practitioners and the implications

ABSTRACTObjective: Pharmaceutical companies spend significant amount of resources on promotion influencing the prescribing behavior of physicians. Drug promotion can negatively impact on rational prescribing, which may adversely affect the quality of patient care. However, little is known about these activities in Nigeria as the most populous country in Africa. We therefore aimed to explore the nature of encounters between Nigerian physicians and pharmaceutical sales representatives (PSRs), and how these encounters influence prescribing habits.Methods: Cross-sectional questionnaire-based study conducted among practicing physicians working in tertiary hospitals in four regions of Nigeria.Results: 176 questionnaires were completed. 154 respondents (87.5%) had medicines promoted to them in the previous three months, with most encounters taking place in outpatients’ clinics (60.2%), clinical meetings (46%) and new medicine launches (17.6%). Information about potential adverse effects and drug interactions was...