Date of Conferral

5-28-2025

Date of Award

May 2025

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Warren Lesser

Abstract

Counterfeiting and drug diversion in the U.S. supply chain is a business problem that results in medication shortages for many ill patients. Successful strategies to augment the distribution of pedigree pharmaceuticals and reduce supply chain medication shortages are important to community pharmacists. Grounded in the theory of constraints as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to explore the strategies that pharmacists use to detect and reduce the dispensing of counterfeit medicines. The participants were 6 pharmacists in the Northeastern United States. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and publicly available documents. Through thematic analysis, four themes emerged: (a) assessment of counterfeiting system deficiencies, (b) implementation of advanced product tracking technology, (c) continuous counterfeit drug assessment protocol, and (d) continuing education of pharmacists. A key recommendation is that pharmacists should use detection technologies such as handheld micro-spectrometers, which have demonstrated high accuracy rates in identifying falsified drugs. The implication for positive social change is improved quality of life for patients and community members who can benefit from pharmaceutical medicines that are genuine, safe, and effective.

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