Medicines Quality Database (MQDB)

The Promoting the Quality of Medicines (PQM) Program, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), provides technical assistance to strengthen medicines quality assurance and quality control systems in some USAID priority countries. A key activity involves developing sustainable Medicines Quality Monitoring (MQM) programs.

Concerns about the availability of substandard and counterfeit medicines prompted USAID and PQM to establish MQM programs in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean to mitigate the significant negative impact of their use on the public's health. PQM provides guidelines that countries may use to design a protocol for collecting and testing samples of essential medicines in their markets.

This online Medicines Quality Database (MQDB) contains the results of MQM activities coordinated by PQM and local stakeholders. The authorities of participating countries have approved dissemination of information in this database.

Reports from the PQM MQDB may be cited and/or reproduced by properly acknowledging their source. USP and PQM accept no responsibility or legal liability for the use and/or accuracy of the cited or reproduced data or for decisions made based on this data.

Information You Need to Know When Using the MQDB

  • What medicines are included in the MQDB?

    Medicines in the MQDB are those of relevance to national health programs in USAID priority countries. Many are used to treat endemic diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis. The most common medicines used to treat these and other diseases are listed in the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.

  • What information does the database contain?

    Country stakeholders report comprehensive data to PQM, including

    • Information about where the medicines were collected
    • Medicine information, including the stated name of manufacturer and lot number
    • Dates of collection and testing
    • Types of tests performed and names of the testing facility
    • Test results
    • Actions taken by the authorities in the case of poor-quality medicines

    Information available and searchable includes

    • Geographical location: World region; Country; Province
    • Date of sampling: Year
    • Facility from which samples were collected: Sector; Type
    • Medicine information: Product name; Name of manufacturer; Therapeutic indication; Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API); Dosage form; Batch or Lot number
    • Test results: Pass or Fail; Counterfeit
  • Where are the medicines obtained for testing?

    The medicines are collected in urban and rural areas of the country from different sources in the public, private, and informal sectors. The public sector consists of institutions under the direct control of the Ministry of Health, other governmental institutions, or faith based organizations. The private sector consists of licensed establishments that dispense and/or commercialize medicines independent of government programs. The informal sector consists of unregulated establishments and vendors that operate without a license to sell medicines. Markets, provinces, and cross-border areas within these sectors that are well known for circulating poor-quality medicines are targeted for sample collection.

  • How are the medicines analyzed?

    Most medicines are screened initially in the field using basic tests performed by PQM-trained personnel following standardized procedures. A subset of these samples is then subjected to verification testing (using the same basic tests) and/or to confirmatory testing, which is performed according to pharmacopeial methods or another validated methodology recognized by the country's regulations. Verification and confirmatory testing are usually performed in the country's Official Medicine Control Laboratory.

    In some countries, the medicines collected directly undergo pharmacopeial/validated methodology testing in their respective Official Medicine Control Laboratory or other designated laboratory based upon specific study protocols.

    The MQDB lists the result of testing performed according to the individual country's protocol.

  • What does "pass" or "fail" mean?

    A medicine passes or fails quality testing when it does or does not conform to the standards set according to the specific methodology used.

    PQM provides guidelines that each country may use to design their MQM protocol. Depending on the individual protocol, the medicines collected under MQM activities could be analyzed using only basic tests, by conducting both basic tests and confirmatory testing following pharmacopeial/validated methods, or by undergoing only the confirmatory testing. The "pass" or "fail" noted in the database reflects the result of testing performed according to the protocol being followed.

  • How do I use the MQDB?

    The MQDB can generate a variety of reports, both simple and customized, on the medicines collected and their quality. Watch the video demonstration on how to use the MQDB. Step-by-step instructions and information icons info icon will guide you through the process:

    • For Quick Reports, you can select one country and one year. The report will provide information on the Province(s) where the medicines were sampled, Medicine/Brand Names, Final Test Results, and whether or not the medicines were considered Counterfeit.
    • For Customized Reports, you can select multiple regions, countries, and years as well as multiple therapeutic indications, medicines, dosage forms, facilities' types (pharmacy, health clinic, hospital, etc.) and sectors(public, private, and informal), and other criteria.
    • Both Quick and Customized Reports can be printed or exported into Microsoft Excel®.
    • Clicking on the MQDB Access Button will take you first to the Terms of Use; once you have agreed to the terms, you will arrive at the MQDB.

ACCESS THE MQDB

Questions?