Abstract

PIP: In many developing countries, Western prescription drugs have become indigenized. They are prepared in traditional ways, administered by traditional healers, sold in local shops, given local names, and widely used in self-medication. Examples are Diatabs and Polymagma in the Philippines and Terramicina and Ambra-Sinto in Brazil. These antibiotics are sprinkled on wounds or taken orally and are given to children whenever they have a fever. In the Cameroon, tetracycline is called Folkolo, which means "wound healer," and in India, Ayurvedic healers assert that penicillin was known to the Brahmanic sages in the past. Health care workers in developing countries should study local drug use patterns before prescribing medications.