Publication year: 2011
Source: Social Science & Medicine, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 5 August 2011
Carine, Baxerres , Jean-Yves, Le Hesran
This anthropological study, conducted in Cotonou, Benin between 2005 and 2007, investigates the informal pharmaceuticals market. It was carried out through a long-term participant observation of informal vendors and semi-directive and unstructured interviews. A classification of products sold in the informal market was developed. The fact that a high percentage of them come from Anglophone countries near Benin (Nigeria and Ghana) led to a comparison of the sources of pharmaceutical supply in these three countries as well as their current legislation regarding pharmaceutical distribution. Our study results highlight a new understanding of the phenomenon of the informal market. Nigeria and…
Highlights: ► Provides an analysis of the informal supply of pharmaceuticals in Benin. ► Describes the various types of drugs distributed in Cotonou’s informal market, their origins and supply chains. ► Compares the pharmaceutical distribution systems of a Francophone country (Benin) and two Anglophone countries (Nigeria, Ghana). ► Examines a process of liberalization of pharmaceutical distribution, its advantages in terms of cost/access to drugs, and disadvantages for public health.