Drug quality in South Africa: perceptions of key players involved in medicines distribution

Substandard medicines contribute to poor public health and affect development, especially in the developing world. However knowledge of how manufacturers, distributors and providers understand the concept of drug quality and what strategies they adopt to ensure drug quality is limited, particularly in the developing world. The purpose of this paper is to explore pharmaceutical manufacturers', distributors' and providers' perceptions of drug quality in South Africa and how they ensure the quality of drugs during the distribution process.