Reimagining the regulation of informal pharmaceutical markets: The importance of pragmatic expertise and improvisation in Nigeria.

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος: Reimagining the regulation of informal pharmaceutical markets: The importance of pragmatic expertise and improvisation in Nigeria.
Συγγραφείς: Klantschnig G; School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. Electronic address: gernot.klantschnig@bristol.ac.uk., Nelson EU; Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse, Uyo, Nigeria. Electronic address: degreatnelson@yahoo.com.
Πηγή: Social science & medicine (1982) [Soc Sci Med] 2026 May; Vol. 396, pp. 119119. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Feb 21.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Pergamon Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8303205 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-5347 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 02779536 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Soc Sci Med Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Oxford ; New York : Pergamon, c1982-
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Drug Industry*/legislation & jurisprudence , Drug Industry*/economics , Commerce*/legislation & jurisprudence , Government Regulation* , Informal Sector*, Nigeria ; Humans ; Anthropology, Cultural
Περίληψη: Informal pharmaceutical markets have become an issue of major concern for international agencies and national governments, including in Nigeria, due to reports about 'fake drugs'. These concerns have at times fostered severe regulatory responses, including violent crackdowns on informal markets. This study reimagines the regulation of informal pharmaceutical markets in ways that could promote drug quality and equitable access to drugs, drawing on the concepts of improvisation and pragmatic expertise, as well as on long-term ethnographic and interview-based research in two of South-Western Nigeria's major informal pharmaceutical markets (n = 82). Our data reveals conflicts between regulatory agencies (dominated by trained pharmacists) and informal market actors, characterised by attempts to control informal markets through re-spatialisation. Data also shows how claims about fake drugs in informal markets help to frame the key problematic of pharmaceutical markets as that of drug quality, thus upholding the role and powers of regulators and expert pharmacists. Informal market actors challenged accusations of fake drugs, emphasising the availability and affordability of essential drugs through their markets and self-regulation efforts, including through informal collaborations with state regulators. In contrast to recent policy initiatives and recent research, our findings show how institutional prioritisation of drug quality may unintentionally undermine other important health objectives, such as access to essential drugs, through regulatory processes that seek to contain informal markets within narrow institutional agendas. Our study reimagines the regulation of informal pharmaceutical markets by highlighting the importance of improvisation in regulatory approaches and the role of pragmatic expertise shared among regulators and informal market actors.
(Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260226 Date Completed: 20260709 Latest Revision: 20260709
Update Code: 20260711
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119119
PMID: 41747634
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE