Objectives: The irrational dispensing practices are responsible for antibiotic abuse and the spread of antibiotic resistance. Thus, the present study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of community pharmacists (CPs) regarding dispensing antibiotics without prescription (DAwP). Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between March 1, 2023, and March 31, 2023, in community pharmacy settings of Lahore, Pakistan. A self-administered and pretested questionnaire was used for the data collection. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with the practices of community pharmacists. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 26) and MS Office (2016). Results: Among 359 respondents, many strongly agreed/agreed with the statements "DAwP is contributing to the development of antimicrobial resistance" (83%, n = 298) and "Antibiotic resistance has become a public health issue" (81.9%, n = 249). Overall, most of the community pharmacists claimed that the unwillingness of patients to visit physicians for non-serious infections (75.2%, n = 270) and good knowledge of pharmacists about the use of antibiotics (51%, n = 183) were the most common reasons attributable to dispensing of antibiotics without prescription. Cephalosporin (n = 260, 72.4%), penicillin (n = 254, 70.8%), and tetracyclines (n = 170, 47.4%) were the most commonly dispensed classes of antibiotics without prescription due to cold, flu and diarrhea. Most community pharmacists never/sometimes warn patients about the potential side effects of medicines (79.1%, n = 284). Logistic regression analysis revealed that community pharmacists 31–40 years of age (OR = 0.568, 95%CI = 0.348–0.927, p-value = 0.024) were significantly less associated with poor practices of dispensing antibiotics without prescription (DAwP) while those who were ’Managers’ (OR = 4.222, 95%CI = 2.542–7.011, p-value = <0.001), had 3–5 years of experience (OR = 2.241, 95%CI = 1.183–4.243, p-value = 0.013), dispensed ≤25 antibiotics per day (OR = 12.375, 95%CI = 5.177–29.583, p-value = <0.001), were more likely to be associated with poor practices of dispensing of antibiotics without prescription. Conclusion: The community pharmacists had adequate knowledge, positive attitudes, and poor practices towards DAwP. Demographical factors such as age, job status, and work experience were the determinants of community pharmacists’ practices towards dispensing antibiotics without prescription (DAwP). Hence, a multifaceted approach, including educational interventions, is needed to reduce the dispensing of antibiotics without prescription (DAwP).

University students are a sub-group of the population at high risk of COVID-19 infection, and their judgments on vaccination affect the public attitudes towards vaccination. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among pharmacy and non-pharmacy students. A cross-sectional study was conducted by enrolling pharmacy (375) and non-pharmacy (225) students from the universities in Lahore. Chi-square analysis was used for significant frequency distributions and a 5-point Likert scale was used to score attitude, perception, and acceptance. The majority of the students were aged between 19–24 years, hailing from urban and middle-class families with good self-reported health. The preferred vaccine was Pfizer, followed by Sinopharm and Sinovac. The major source of information was social media, followed by government campaigns and family members. The pharmacy students demonstrated better knowledge and positive attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination. The non-pharmacy students scored higher for the questions based on scientific leads, myths, and baffling conspiracies. The non-pharmacy students showed higher hesitancy/barrier total scores related to their trust in the health system, COVID-19 vaccine storage, and efficacy. Data suggested that pharmacy students exhibited better knowledge, positive attitudes, and perceptions about COVID-19 vaccination. Overall, vaccine efficacy and safety were mutual concerns. Nonetheless, non-pharmacy students were hesitant due to mistrust in the health system of Pakistan.

1. For over a century, the Bacillus Calmette – Guérin (BCG) vaccine, derived from an attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis, has been the primary prophylactic intervention against Tuberculosis gl...