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The two emergency contraceptive drugs ("morning-after pill") ulipristal acetate and levonorgestrel are available without prescription in many European countries. In Albania, ulipristal acetate is not marketed yet and levonorgestrel has still prescription-only status. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and socioeconomic correlates of emergency contraceptive (EMC) use, collect sales figures, and gain information on the women's way of purchasing EMCs in post-communist Albania.For this cross-sectional study, self-administered questionnaires were made accessible to women in Albania in March 2015 by hard copy or online via social networks. Women were asked about lifetime use and last year's use of EMCs, and if they purchased EMCs with or without a prescription. Additionally, pharmacies were contacted and asked about EMC sales figures.Of the 205 participating women, 80.5% knew about the availability and use of EMCs, and 15.1% reported EMC use during the previous 12 months. The lifetime prevalence of use was 46.8%. Although having prescription-only status in Albania, 96% of the women bought EMCs without a physician's prescription. Knowledge was significantly lower among the lower educated women and among women residing in small cities. Use of EMCs was significantly higher in women with a weaker financial background and, compared with small cities, in those from large or mid-sized cities. The 54 participating pharmacies (3% of all Albanian pharmacies) reported selling 11 EMCs on average per month. The use of EMCs may be estimated at 0.22 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day. Compared to January 2015, EMC sales increased by 17% in February 2016.Compared to other European countries, the prevalence of EMC use seems to be higher in Albania. Use and knowledge of EMCs depend on socioeconomic characteristics. It is recommended to switch EMCs to non-prescription status in transitional Albania.Die 2 Notfallkontrazeptiva („Pille danach“) Ulipristalacetat und Levonorgestrel sind in vielen europäischen Ländern ohne Verschreibung erhältlich. Während in Albanien Ulipristalacetat nicht verfügbar ist, untersteht Levonorgestrel immer noch der Verschreibungspflicht. Ziel dieser Studie war, die Prävalenz sowie die sozioökonomischen Korrelate des Gebrauchs von Notfallkontrazeptiva zu erfassen, Verkaufszahlen zu erheben sowie Informationen über die Art des Zugangs der Frauen zu Notfallkontrazeptiva im post-kommunistischen Albanien zu ermitteln.Für diese Querschnittstudie wurden im März 2015 selbst auszufüllende Fragebögen an Frauen in Albanien verteilt oder über Internet mittels sozialer Netzwerke zugänglich gemacht. Die Frauen wurden gefragt, ob sie jemals oder während der letzten 12 Monate Notfallkontrazeptiva verwendet hatten, und ob sie das Notfallkontrazeptivum mit oder ohne Rezept erworben hatten. Zusätzlich wurden auch Apotheken kontaktiert und gebeten, ihre Verkaufszahlen zu Notfallkontrazeptiva zu übermitteln.Von den 205 Teilnehmerinnen waren 80,5% über die Möglichkeit der Notfallkontrazeption informiert. 15,1% hatten ein Notfallkontrazeptivum innerhalb der letzten 12 Monate verwendet. Die Lebenszeitprävalenz lag bei 46.8%. Obwohl Notfallkontrazeptiva in Albanien verschreibungspflichtig sind, erwarben 96% der Frauen diese Mittel ohne ärztliche Verordnung. Frauen mit geringerer Bildung und Frauen aus Kleinstädten waren signifikant weniger über die Möglichkeit der Notfallkontrazeption informiert. Der Gebrauch von Notfallkontrazeptiva war bei Frauen mit schwächerem finanziellen Hintergrund signifikant erhöht, ebenso wie bei Frauen aus mittelgroßen Städten und Großstädten (im Vergleich zu Kleinstädten). Die 54 teilnehmenden Apotheken (3% aller albanischen Apotheken) gaben an, durchschnittlich 11 Notfallkontrazeptiva pro Monat verkauft zu haben. Der Gebrauch von Notfallkontrazeptiva kann grob mit 0,22 definierten Tagesdosen pro 1000 Einwohner und Tag geschätzt werden. Verglichen mit Januar 2015 wurden im Februar 2016 17% mehr Notfallkontrazeptiva verkauft.Im Vergleich zu anderen europäischen Ländern scheint der Gebrauch von Notfallkontrazeptiva in Albanien höher zu sein. Sowohl Gebrauch von als auch Wissen über Notfallkontrazeptiva hängen von sozioökonomischen Faktoren ab. Die Entlassung dieser Arzneimittel aus der Verschreibungspflicht ist in Albanien empfehlenswert.

Aim: Shifting from a communist regime to a democratic system has affected health system fundamentally in most of the Western Balkan countries including Albania. Albania became a European Union (EU) candidate country in 2014. Since then, one of the main concerns has been to approximate the legislation with the EU framework. The aim of this paper is to review the evolvement of pharmaceutical legislation in Albania and challenges toward achieving full approximation to the EU’s respective legislation. Methods: We used qualitative techniques, especially means of conventional content analysis and two sources to collection data. First, we consulted the Albania’s National Publications Office webpage and analysed all available legislation regarding “pharmacy”, “medicine” and “pharmaceutical products” from 1994 to 2021. Then, we analysed the National Integration Plans that have been published by the Government of Albania from 2014 to 2021. Results: The decrease of the price margin system goes in parallel with the increase of the pharmaceutical expenditure, including out-of-pocket expenditure on medicines and lack of adequate and sensitive reimbursement policies. The main pillars of the pharmaceutical sector in Albania are well-covered legally but not fully in concordance with the EU framework. Conclusion: There is a need to foster laws implementation that regulate the opening of pharmacies; a detailed regulation on pharmacovigilance; and a regulation on medicinal products for paediatric use. Also, the existing legal framework should be aligned with the European one. Medicine pricing methods should go in the same line with the decrease of out-of-pocket expenditure., South Eastern European Journal of Public Health (SEEJPH), Volume XVI, 2021

AIM: To assess the level of knowledge of the adult users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) regarding their side effects and the socio-demographic factors associated with the use of these drugs in the adult population of Albania.METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study including a representative sample of 199 individuals aged ≥18 years (77% women; overall mean age: 30.3±10.0 years; overall response rate: 90%) who were users of NSAIDs recruited in ten different pharmacies in Tirana municipality during April-May 2015. A self-administered questionnaire contained basic socio-demographic information and questions about NSAIDs use, their types, participants' knowledge about NSAIDs side effects and their interaction with other drugs.RESULTS: In 56% of the cases, NSAIDs were taken by participants' own decisions, whereas in about 29% of the cases these drugs were prescribed by physicians. Acetaminophen, ketoprofen and ibuprofen were the most frequently used NSAIDs. Overall, 51% of participants thought NSAIDs could cause allergic reactions, whereas one third or fewer were aware of each of the following side effects: upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding, hypertension, gastritis, kidney failure, myopathy, osteoporosis. About one third of participants were aware of NSAIDs-other drug interactions, whereas some of them were already taking contraindicated drugs. No significant differences were noticed regarding sex, age, educational level, employment status and marital status, with very few exceptions.CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate limited knowledge about NSAIDs side effects and their interaction with other drugs among the Albania adult population, which is a cause of concern.