OCHEKPE NELSON A, AGBOWURO AYODEJI A AND ATTAH SAADATU E
This work assessed possible correlation between the prices and quality of Artemether and Artesunate fixed combination antimalarials.70 different preparations of Artemisinin Combination Therapies(ACTs) were selected by stratified random sampling method. These drugs were gotten from 5 study sites in different parts of Nigeria from both public and private drug outlets. The drugs were analysed using the World Health Organization (WHO) minilab basic testing procedures and the results alongside their market prices statistically computed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 16.0. The square of the Pearsons price-quality correlation coefficients(r2) gotten were 0.038 for preparations containing artesunate and 0.027 for preparations containing Artemether; at P=0.05 there was no significant difference between the prices of high quality and those of low quality ACTs as their calculated t-values were less than their tabulated tvalues. Counterfeit ACTs stood at 31.4% while substandard ACTs constituted 12.9%, and genuine ACTs 55.7%.The results revealed that the market prices of ACTs in Nigeria do not reflect their quality therefore the old saying that ?The bitterness of low quality drugs persists even after the sweetness of their low prices is gone? might not be applicable to ACTs in Nigeria.
