title: Use of retail pharmacy for common cold preparations in urban Harare.
abstract: The study was undertaken to estimate the most commonly utilised over-the-counter common cold medications in ten randomly sampled retail pharmacies in urban Harare. Data was collected prospectively with the aid of a purpose built ad-hoc questionnaire. The results showed that ASAFEN is the most commonly sold tablet formulation of common cold preparations and HISTALIX is the most frequently sold liquid dosage form. A review of the active ingredients in these formulations revealed that some of them are incorporated in subtherapeutic doses. The efficacy of these preparations is debatable. Children in the age group of 6 months to 10 years used mostly the liquid formulations while adults used both the liquid and solid dosages. Significantly (P < 0.05), more males than females bought common cold preparations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Zimbabwe Medical School, Avondale, Harare.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Nhachi
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Nyamambi
authors.forename: O M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Kasilo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003139:Common Cold / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000737:chemistry / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010594:Pharmacies; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012651:Self Medication / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D015030:Zimbabwe
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs