16 research outputs found
Performance of Female MPs in the 9th Parliament
No full textThis infographic is available in English and Sinhala.This infographic shows the Performance of Female Mps in 9th Parliament from August 2020 to February 2021. They are Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi, Harini Amarasuriya, Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Thalatha Athukorala, Seetha Arambepola, Diana Gamage, Manjula Dissanayake, Rajika Wickramasinghe, Kokila Gunawardene, Muditha Prishanthi and Geetha Samanmalee Kumarasinghe
Pharmacovigilance through consumer feedback (reporting) in the mass treatment of lymphatic filariasis using diethylcarbamazine and albendazole in two districts of Sri Lanka
No full textMedicine prices, availability and affordability in Sri Lanka
No full textBackground : No pricing formula has been implemented from November 2002
to date in Sri Lanka. Therefore, we initiated a study in 2003 to
determine the prices, availability and affordability of medicines in
the private sector of Sri Lanka in the absence of a price control.
Materials and Methods : The World Health Organization/Health Action
International methodology was used. The study was conducted in retail
pharmacies (Rajya Osu Sala) of State Pharmaceuticals Corporation
(semigovernment) and privately owned retail pharmacies (n = 15) in
2003, 2006 and 2009 in a geographical area. Essential medicines (n =
28) were studied and, for each medicine, innovator, most sold generic
and cheapest generic were monitored. The medicine′s median price
was compared with the international reference prices (IRP) to obtain
the median price ratio. The daily wage of the lowest-paid government
worker was used to calculate affordability. Results : Innovators were
five to six-times the IRP at privately owned pharmacies and four to
seven-times at the Rajya Osu Sala. The prices of generics were ≤1
the IRP during 6 years in privately owned and Rajya Osu Sala
pharmacies. Cheapest generics were high in availability (>80%)
throughout the study period. Innovators cost more than a day′s
wage of the lowest-paid government worker; in contrast, generics were
always less than one day′s wage. There seems to be no difference
in affordability between privately owned or semigovernment pharmacies.
Conclusion : In Sri Lanka, generic medicines have effective pricing and
are available and affordable. No drastic changes in prices of medicine
in the private sector were observed over the 6 years despite removal of
price control
A cost effectiveness analysis of the preferred antidotes for acute paracetamol poisoning patients in Sri Lanka
No full textBackground: Acute paracetamol poisoning is a rapidly increasing problem in Sri Lanka. The antidotes are expensive and yet no health economic evaluation has been done on the therapy for acute paracetamol poisoning in the developing world. The aim of this study is to determine the cost effectiveness of using N-acetylcysteine over methionine in the management of acute paracetamol poisoning in Sri Lanka. Methods:Economic analysis was applied using public healthcare system payer perspective. Costs were obtained from a series of patients admitted to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka with a history of acute paracetamol overdose. Evidence on effectiveness was obtained from a systematic review of the literature. Death due to hepatotoxicity was used as the primary outcome of interest. Analysis and development of decision tree models was done using Tree Age Pro 2008. Results: An affordable treatment threshold of Sri Lankan rupees 1,537,120/death prevented was set from the expected years of productive life gained and the average contribution to GDP. A cost-minimisation analysis was appropriate for patients presenting within 10 hours and methionine was the least costly antidote. For patients presenting 10-24 hours after poisoning, n-acetylcysteine was more effective and the incremental cost effectiveness ratio of Sri Lankan rupees 316,182/life saved was well under the threshold. One-way and multi-way sensitivity analysis also supported methionine for patients treated within 10 hours and n-acetylcysteine for patients treated within 10-24 hours as preferred antidotes.Conclusions: Post ingestion time is an important determinant of preferred antidotal therapy for acute paracetamol poisoning patients in Sri Lanka. Using n-acetylcysteine in all patients is not cost effective. On economic grounds, methionine should become the preferred antidote for Sri Lankan patients treated within 10 hours of the acute ingestion and n-acetylcysteine should continue to be given to patients treated within 10-24 hours
All that palsies is not Bell's : the need to define Bell's palsy as an adverse event following immunization
No full textBell's palsy has been reported as an adverse event following immunization (AEFI). Review of the published literature reveals that several characteristics have been used to describe Bell's palsy, which differ significantly from author to author. Evidently, the definition of "Bell's palsy" remains controversial, and consensus between different medical subspecialties is urgently needed. The Brighton Collaboration has formed an international working group with representatives of neurology, otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics, electrophysiology, pharmacology, pharmaceutical and biotech industry as well as regulatory agencies to create a case definition of Bell's palsy as an AEFI
A malaria death due to an imported Plasmodium falciparum infection in Sri Lanka during the prevention of re-establishment phase of malaria
No full textAbstract Background Sri Lanka has maintained a rigorous programme to prevent the re-establishment of malaria ever since the disease was eliminated in October 2012. It includes efforts to sustain case surveillance to ensure early diagnosis and management of malaria. Yet, in April of 2023 the death occurred of an individual with imported malaria. Case presentation The deceased was a 37-year-old Sri Lankan male who returned to Sri Lanka on the 10th of April after a business trip to several countries including Tanzania. He was febrile on arrival and consulted three Allopathic Medical Practitioners in succession in his home town in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, over a period of 5 days starting from the very day that he arrived in the country. Malaria was not tested for at any of these consultations and his clinical condition deteriorated. On the evening of 14th of April he was admitted to the medical intensive care unit of a major private hospital in the capital city of Colombo with multiple organ failure. There, on a request by the treating physician blood was tested for malaria and reported early the next morning as Plasmodium falciparum malaria with a high parasitaemia (> 10%). The patient died shortly after on the 15th of April before any anti-malarial medication was administered. The deceased had been a frequent business traveller to Africa, but with no past history of malaria. He had not taken chemoprophylaxis for malaria on this or previous travels to Africa. Discussion The patient’s P. falciparum infection progressed rapidly over 5 days of arriving in Sri Lanka leading to severe malaria without being diagnosed, despite him seeking healthcare from three different Medical Practitioners. Finally, a diagnosis of malaria was made on admission to an intensive care unit; the patient died before anti-malarial medicines were administered. Conclusions This first death due to severe P. falciparum malaria reported in Sri Lanka after elimination of the disease was due to the delay in diagnosing malaria
"All that palsies is not Bell's [1]"-The need to define Bell's palsy as an adverse event following immunization
No full textBell's palsy has been reported as an adverse event following immunization (AEFI). Review of the published literature reveals that several characteristics have been used to describe Bell's palsy, which differ significantly from author to author. Evidently, the definition of "Bell's palsy" remains controversial, and consensus between different medical subspecialties is urgently needed. The Brighton Collaboration has formed an international working group with representatives of neurology, otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics, electrophysiology, pharmacology, pharmaceutical and biotech industry as well as regulatory agencies to create a case definition of Bell's palsy as an AEFI. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Vaccine
No full textThis document is intended as a guide to the protocol development for trials of prophylactic vaccines. The template may serve phases I-IV clinical trials protocol development to include safety relevant information as required by the regulatory authorities and as deemed useful by the investigators. This document may also be helpful for future site strengthening efforts.CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States
