To assess access to child-appropriate medicines in Albanian community pharmacies by applying a child-adapted version of sustainable development goal (SDG) indicator 3.b.3.

Cross-sectional survey.

Community pharmacies providing primary care medicines in six urban areas in Albania.

Thirty community pharmacies were surveyed. Two predefined baskets of child-appropriate essential medicines were assessed: 24 medicines for children aged 1–59 months and 25 medicines for children aged 5–12 years. Medicines were selected from these child-adapted SDG 3.b.3 medicine baskets proposed at an international level and then matched to paediatric formulations registered nationally for application to Albania.

Individual facility scores by age group and medicine type (originator brands (OBs) vs lowest-priced generics (LPGs)), as well as sensitivity analyses using alternative affordability thresholds.

The SDG 3.b.3 indicator score was 0%, as no surveyed facility reached the 80% access threshold. Mean facility scores were 42.6% for medicines intended for children aged 1–59 months and 29.6% for those aged 5–12 years, indicating poorer access for older children. Scores for OBs were particularly low (11.8% and 13.6%, respectively), reflecting reliance on LPGs. In younger children, ibuprofen and hydroxycobalamin showed 0% availability, while in school-aged children, paracetamol, propranolol and budesonide were absent across surveyed facilities; benzylpenicillin was absent in both age groups, whereas ceftriaxone was consistently available in both. Although all surveyed medicines were affordable, limited availability remained the primary barrier to access.

Application of the child-adapted SDG indicator 3.b.3 in Albania highlights substantial gaps in access to essential paediatric medicines in private community pharmacies, driven primarily by poor availability rather than affordability. The findings underscore the need for targeted supply-side policies. This study demonstrates the complementary value of composite SDG indicators and medicine-specific availability measures in monitoring progress toward universal health coverage for children.

Despite the availability of curative treatments, hepatitis C diagnosis and treatment coverage is suboptimal globally with few countries on track to achieve the WHO’s 2030 elimination targets. In 2022, an estimated 50 million people were living with hepatitis C, with 1 million new infections annually. Most people living with hepatitis C reside in low- and middle-income countries, and people who inject drugs are disproportionately affected by hepatitis C.

Continuing simplification of diagnostic pathways and treatment care models is required to improve linkage to care and reduce costs associated with hepatitis C treatment and cure.

This study is a multi-country non-randomised, quasi-experimental, prospective comparative two-arm trial. It aims to assess the feasibility of implementation, retention in hepatitis C care and achievement of cure and cost-effectiveness outcomes, comparing two simplified hepatitis C testing and treatment pathways.

Arm 1 is a standard simplified test and treat model of care following global guidance, and arm 2 is an innovative rapid, same-day treatment initiation model of care using a presumptive treatment approach based on shortened read-time of the point-of-care OraQuick hepatitis C antibody test result. Secondary outcomes include assessing the accuracy of the OraQuick hepatitis C antibody test in predicting viraemia and the acceptability of each pathway.

This study will be implemented in Armenia, Georgia and Tanzania. Treatment-naïve people who inject drugs aged over 18 years in each country will be eligible for enrolment.

Recruitment commenced in October 2024 in Armenia, June 2025 in Georgia and August 2025 in Tanzania and is anticipated to close by December 2026.

This trial has been reviewed by WHO Ethics Review Committee (ERC), Alfred Hospital Ethics Committee (Australia) and local country ERCs. Alongside journal publications and conferences, the results from this study will be disseminated through summary reports and workshops with key stakeholders and with communities of people affected by HCV through relevant organisations/networks, including the global Community Advisory Board (CAB). The study results will inform national scale-up of simplified care models and inform potential pathways for further simplification of care models, including the potential for one-step diagnostic pathways and same-day treatment in particular scenarios for the three study countries, and other low- and middle-income countries globally.

NCT06159504.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) are recognised as core principles in higher education, yet their practical integration into pharmacy education remains underexplored. This review aims to identify the scope of existing research, highlight knowledge gaps and provide valuable insights for pharmacy educators, researchers and policymakers seeking to enhance EDIA integration within pharmacy education.

This protocol describes the methodology for a scoping review to systematically map the existing peer-reviewed literature on EDIA in pharmacy education, focusing on three critical areas: faculty development, curriculum content and teaching strategies. Using the Population, Concept and Context framework, the review will include studies examining faculty members, students and administrators within formal pharmacy education contexts worldwide. The scoping review will adhere to the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. The search will include peer-reviewed academic studies, accessed through databases such as MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, APA PsycINFO, ERIC and Web of Science. Backward snowballing will also be employed. Data will be charted using a predefined extraction tool, and findings will be synthesised and presented in tabular and narrative formats. A pilot search took place in March 2025, and the final search, study selection and data extraction will be conducted from May to December 2025. The subsequent analysis, presentation and interpretation of results are planned thereafter.

Ethics approval is not required. We plan to share findings through a variety of means including professional networks, peer-reviewed journal publications, conference presentations, invited workshops and webinars, on the FPD-Include project website and on our research groups’ university websites.

To examine inpatient benzodiazepine receptor agonists prescribing patterns and assess how hospitalisation affects use at discharge.

Subanalysis of the WEsleep trial, a cluster-randomised controlled single-centre study conducted at Amsterdam University Medical Center (Amsterdam UMC) (two locations) between July 2023 and March 2024. Twelve departments (six medical, six surgical) were matched and randomised to intervention or standard care. On intervention wards, multiple measures to improve sleep were implemented, including minimising nighttime disruptions.

Amsterdam UMC, across medical and surgical hospital departments.

Adult patients admitted for ≥2 nights (medical) or undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery in a surgical department.

Benzodiazepine use was classified as no use, pre-admission use or new in-hospital initiation. Prescribing patterns were summarised descriptively according to type, timing, indication and discharge status.

Of 746 patients, 187 (25%) used benzodiazepines: 80 (43%) had pre-admission use, and 107 (57%) were newly initiated during their hospital stay. Among pre-admission users, two discontinued and five had adjustments at discharge. Among newly initiated users, 94 (88%) had their benzodiazepine discontinued at discharge. Approximately half of pre-admission prescriptions and one-third of in-hospital prescriptions lacked a documented indication.

Although most newly initiated benzodiazepine treatments were discontinued during hospitalisation, pre-existing use was rarely reassessed and nearly 10% of new users were discharged with a prescription. Structured deprescribing protocols, better documentation of indications and improved discharge planning are needed to promote safer and more rational benzodiazepine use.

NCT05683483.