Pharmacovigilance and Its Extent Contribution to Eliminating
Marketing Deception: An Exploratory Study on the Opinions of a
Sample of Visitors of Some Pharmacies Operating in the Mosul City
MOHAMMAD MAHMOOD AL-MULLA HASAN, MOHAMMED AHMED MAHMOOD,
MAYADA AHMED SAID
Department of Marketing Management,
College of Administration and Economics,
University of Mosul, Mosul,
IRAQ
Abstract: - Two dimensions form the theoretical and field framework for this study, pharmacovigilance and
marketing deception. The study revealed that pharmacovigilance represents activities related to detecting,
evaluating, understanding, and preventing harmful effects or any other related problem. While, marketing
deception (henceforth MD) is marketing practices carried out by organizations or sellers in terms of distorting
and misleading facts that cause the customer to be in a precarious state, and result in wrong purchasing
decisions. The operating pharmacies within Mosul city were a field for conducting the field study, and the
researcher sought to include several questionnaires expressing the study problem that was the basis for building
the field studies, including (i) Do the pharmacovigilance contribute to eliminating MD? (ii) Is there an effective
correlation between the pharmacovigilance dimension and the after-MD dimension? To answer these questions,
a hypothetical scheme of the study was formulated to reflect the relationships and effects between the two
dimensions of the study, which resulted in a set of main and secondary hypotheses, that were tested using
several statistical means for the data collected by the questionnaire which numbered (527) and all were
retrieved. The study listed a set of conclusions that were distributed in terms of theory and field sides, which
the researcher presents the most important: (i) According to the answers of contributed individuals,
pharmacovigilance does not contribute to eliminating MD. (ii) There is an effective relationship between
pharmacovigilance and MD, but to some extent, it is weak due to the absence of adopting pharmacovigilance
among the researched individuals, which negatively affected the elimination of MD practiced by some
pharmacies operating in Mosul city. (iii) The relative importance of the variables of MD differs from a variable
on the pharmacovigilance dimension. Depending on both theoretical and field study findings, proposals were
listed consistent with these conclusions, as well as future studies related to the dimensions of the current study
were suggested.
Key-Words: - Pharmacovigilance, Marketing Deception, Deception in product, Price in deception, Deception in
distribution, Deception in promotion
Received: May 30, 2022. Revised: September 29, 2022. Accepted: November 2, 2022. Published: November 15, 2022.
1 Introduction
Pharmacovigilance has a great impact on guiding
and educating people on the proper use of medicines
and informing them about the side effects of
medicines that harm the general health of the
individual, and in some cases lead to death and limit
harm to patients and achieve a safe life as much as
possible by reducing side effects and danger from
using medicines, especially after the plurality of
pharmaceutical companies in the world, as well as
the attempt to reduce MD, especially after the rapid
technological and information development and its
impact on economic development, and in light of
the large variety of products and a large number of
origins, especially about medicines, and an
invitation to adhere to honesty, and mutual trust
with customers to sustain life correctly. And, to
achieve a great market position and gain whence
customers and profit. MD is regarded as one of the
immoral practices in the business world that carry
many meanings and implications, most of which fall
under the practices of human behavior, and the rules
and standards that govern this behavior, and show
business organizations and their managers what
should and should not in accomplishing different
types of work, and whether the business behavior is
right or wrong.
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As the current research aims to provide a
theoretical framework for the dimensions of
pharmacovigilance and marketing deception and to
identify the theoretical contributions of researchers
to these two variables, as well as the need to provide
the ingredients for building pharmacovigilance for
citizens to avoid marketing deception practiced by
pharmaceutical companies against them.
Therefore, the current research deals with two
variables that can be considered of equal importance
to the organization and presents them in a
theoretical framework that shows their potential by
emphasizing them by measuring them on the field
side, which can indicate their importance, especially
in the Iraqi environment which shrouded with many
changes by measuring the relationships between the
two variables and their explanatory capabilities for
each other. On the other hand, in light of the
hypothetical scheme defined by the research on
which its main and sub-hypotheses were built,
through the use of certain statistical methods. The
research axes were sequenced according to their
approach, starting with the first axis which shows
the methodological framework, while the two axes,
the second and third, which concerned with the
intellectual and philosophical clarification of the
research variables, which is (pharmaceutical
vigilance and MD), The fourth axis focused on the
statistical effort required to answer the questions
raised in the methodological framework and to test
its hypotheses to determine their acceptance or
rejection. The fifth axis is concerned with clarifying
the conclusions reached and a set of proposals.
2 Methodology
2.1 Research Problem
Medicines are discriminated against by other
products for their importance and the extent of their
necessity, and the pharmaceutical industry in
developed countries is regarded as an unavoidable
strategic choice. Whereas, health security means not
giving the patient medicines as an excuse, expired
drugs, not giving medicines in high or low doses,
not giving two drugs with direct and indirect drug
interactions, and not giving the drug incorrectly,
such as giving it intravenously instead of
intramuscularly or orally instead of intravenously.
So, the concept of pharmacovigilance is raised to
avoid the negative aspects of drug marketing
operations, which means detection, evaluation,
understanding, and prevention of negative reactions
toward pharmaceutical products. Moreover, the
customer’s suffering extends to MD methods for a
long time and at a different time through the
products offered to him, which appear to be good in
serving him and satisfying his needs and desires.
But in contrast, it was aimed at exploiting him and
achieving the greatest possible amount of profits.
This has escalated to the point where it has
stimulated many individuals, groups, officials, and
unofficial organisms to the point where the
customer suffers huge marketing exploitation and
deception and the consequent physical and moral
damages. This also encouraged those interested in
marketing to play an important role in this regard,
with the directions and recommendations that
provided insurance to protect the customer in his
dealings with producers and distributors of products.
With this description, the fact of this research is
attracted by two scientifically intertwined variables
(pharmaceutical vigilance and MD), in order to look
through them the research problem, which can be
limited to a set of questions as follows:
1. The first main question: Are there differences in
the answers of the respondents about the two
variables of the study?
2. The second main question: Does
pharmacological vigilance contribute to
eliminating MD?
3. The third main question: Is there a correlation
and effect of pharmacovigilance in MD?
4. The fourth main question: Does the relative
importance of the MD variables vary on the
pharmacovigilance variable?
2.2 The Importance of the Research
The importance of the current research is
highlighted by the following:
1. Motivate respondents towards the importance of
pharmacovigilance by collecting data and
information related to various pharmaceutical
products, which leads them to succeed in
making various purchasing decisions.
2. The field of pharmacovigilance is regarded as a
modern field in the field of scientific research
and information systems science, so the research
will shed light on this variable and its
importance through the theoretical survey and
on the field side of the research.
3. The research is expected to contribute to
pointing out the necessary means, whether
through information obtained by customers
through pharmacological vigilance, and the
impact of that on the MD which is adopted by
some organizations specialized in
pharmaceutical products.
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2.3 Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this research study are as follows,
1. Elaboration of clearly defined theoretical
frameworks for the research variables, with
regard to pharmacological vigilance and MD, in
an approach that enables researchers to put
forward their procedural definition.
2. Achieving a new intellectual contribution that
leads to indicate the importance of
pharmacovigilance in the life of customers.
3. Identifying the answers of respondents to the
clauses of the research variables.
4. Indicating the level of pharmacovigilance's
contribution in eliminating MD.
5. Indicating the nature of the relationship and the
effect between pharmacological vigilance and
MD.
6. Presenting some proposals based on what will
be put forward in the theoretical framework for
the research variables or what will be produced
by statistical analyses of the relationships
between the two dimensions mentioned above.
2.4 Research Scheme
The research scheme clarifies a set of logical
relationships which may be in a quantitative or
qualitative form and combined to form the main
features of the case you are interested in. The
systematic treatment of the research problem
requires a hypothetical scheme design in which it
shows the logical relations between the research
variables and expresses the results of the research
questions raised in a problem. Whereas, scheme
design was based on the possibility of measuring
each dimension of the study, as well as its
comprehensiveness since, pharmacological
vigilance is represented as an independent variable,
and the dependent variable is represented by MD,
Figure 1.
Fig. 1: The research scheme
2.5 Research Hypotheses
According to the objectives of the research and to
test its scheme, the research relied on a set of main
and subsidiary hypotheses, as follows:
1. There is no correlation between the
pharmacovigilance variable and the MD
variable and its dimensions.
2. There is no effective relationship between the
dimension of pharmacovigilance in MD.
3. The relative importance of MD variables does
not vary on the pharmacovigilance dimension
2.6 Research Methodology and Techniques
The research was based on the descriptive-analytical
approach as the main approach, due to its suitability
in describing the research variables. Through the
International Information Network (the Internet), the
questionnaire prepared by the researchers was also
relied upon in the light of the sources that were
available and which will be examined in the
theoretical aspect of the research, which specialized
in obtaining the appropriate data to carry out the
research, and included (36) indicators, covering the
research variables. The questionnaire was tested for
validity and reliability. After completing the
collection of questionnaire forms, and unloading the
data, the Cronbach Alpha coefficient was used to
determine the degree of reliability of the
measurement tool. It was found that the percentage
of congruence in the answers of the research sample
members reached the total level (83.8%), which
proves a good degree of resolution stability
compared to the (Standard Alpha) of (60%) for
human studies, [1]. On the other hand, the
aforementioned form was distributed to a random
sample of 527 attendees of some pharmacies
operating in the city of Mosul, and the researchers
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will stand on the descriptions of this sample at the
beginning of the field framework for their research
later.
The ready-made system program, [26], was
adopted through which the frequencies, statistical
means, and standard deviations of the answers were
extracted as related to each of the phrases received
in the questionnaire, as well as some tests are
chosen by the researchers as appropriate tests in
studying the relationships between the different
dimensions of the research.
2.7 Research Limits
The spatial boundaries of the research and the
research sample and those who are within the
geographical boundaries of the city of Mosul.
3 Pharmacovigilance
The concept of pharmacovigilance: Looking at the
negative aspects of drug marketing and the warnings
of the World Health Organization has impulses
many countries to pay attention to the concept of
pharmacovigilance (smuggled drugs, counterfeit
medicines, policies of some pharmaceutical
organizations in the third world, the absence of a
national drug policy, the lack of Regulated
pharmaceutical legislation, weak of national
pharmaceutical industries, registration of medicines
without scientific standards, importing unnecessary
medicines, distributing medicines without controls
or restrictions, marketing of medicines withdrawn
from international markets, lack of quality control
after marketing, immoral promotion of medicines)
all are reasons that encourage researchers to looking
at the term of pharmacovigilance in the context of
the marketing and post-marketing dimensions, and
pharmacological vigilance is an uncommon term
among patients, and it may not be known by many
even those who are interested in scientific affairs,
but its importance far exceeds its cognitive presence
among people, as it is about keeping track of
pharmacological effects therapeutic interventions
and their impact on the health and safety of patients
during and after treatment, as well as, if the global
age of this term has exceeded five decades, it
emerged in the mid-sixties, [2]. It is also related to
the safety of medicines after their marketing, and
soon the concept will be related to a broader scope
to include pharmacological safety data for
medicines before marketing. Accordingly, it
requires all pharmaceutical and regulatory
authorities concerned with drug safety to have a
department that has all the powers and privileges to
carry out the task of pharmacovigilance and follow-
up drug safety, [3]. Pharmacovigilance is designed
to control the safety of licensed medical products
and evaluate the benefits against the risks that may
result from their use”, [4]. Or, it is “a system used
by organizations to fulfill their legal duties and
responsibilities in relation to pharmacovigilance and
is designed control the safety of licensed medical
products and evaluation of the benefits compared to
the risks that may result from their use”, [5], and
explained by [6], it is “the provision of information
to health care professionals as well as to patients in
order to improve the safe and effective use of
medicinal products.” While the authors in [7]
defined it as science and activities related to
detecting, evaluating, understanding and preventing
of the side effects caused from drug use”, which is
“checking adverse drug reactions and detecting their
negative effects and problems arising from their
use”, [8]. Therefore, pharmacovigilance can be
considered as a set of activities that aim to improve
the efficiency of medicines and control products to
ensure patient safety, and reduce side effects that
patients are exposed to as a result of using
medicines.
The importance of pharmacovigilance:
pharmacovigilance tries to identify adverse
reactions to drugs, their classification, and analysis,
methods of monitoring and control, as well as
medication errors and how to assess their risks, find
solutions to avoid them, protect community
members and patients from their negative effects, in
addition to identifying adverse interactions between
them and chemical drugs. Or herbal and
complementary medicines or food. The program
also tries to motivate continuous education about
drug safety, monitor adverse or adverse reactions to
it, educate pharmacists and physicians, and educate
the community about drug safety reports. Since our
life is affected in any way by medical interventions.
Pharmacovigilance has been promoted in recent
years as of scientific importance to effective clinical
practice and public health sciences. National
Pharmacovigilance Centers have become a major
influence on drug organizational authorities at a
time drug safety concerns are becoming increasingly
important. In public health and clinical practice.
This paper reveals the basics of drug safety and
other important aspects of pharmacovigilance, [8].
The study in [9] has clarified the importance of
pharmacovigilance in the light of the following:
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1. The drug information obtained from the pre-
marketing phase of the drug is insufficient,
especially regarding the safety of the drug, and
it may have side effects of drugs.
2. Experiments conducted on animals do not fully
indicate their effect and safety on humans.
3. Clinical experiments are conducted on a small
number of volunteers, as well as a small number
of patients and conditions associated with their
use. The duration of these experiments is
relatively limited and does not use the drugs on
a large scale or for a large number of people.
4. Some side effects may not appear in pre-
marketing studies, especially uncommon ones;
this is due to the small number of patients
participating in these studies.
3.1 The Importance of Patients’ Reports
about Side Effects of Medicines
The study in [9] explains that the importance of the
reports submitted by patients as a result of their use
of pharmaceutical products is as follows:
1. Patients are considered essential and effective
players and the main stakeholder in drug safety,
as well as, they can contribute effectively to its
programs to improve their participation in
managing their health affairs
2. Direct reports are an essential means of
engaging patients and improving their
communication regarding their health affairs.
3. Patients' reports can reveal side effects early,
and the number of reports can be increased,
especially for medicines that are taken without a
prescription.
4. Direct patient reports can overcome the problem
of under-reporting by doctors and pharmacists,
as it was found that only 5% of them report side
effects, and under-reporting is a major problem
that most countries suffer from.
5. Patients' reports will enhance their rights and
participation in matters of concern with their
health problems.
6. Patients' reports will help to improve the quality
of life and ensure the safe use of medication.
7. Patients' reports will help detect counterfeit
medicines that are not suitable for the required
level and that meet the standards of quality,
efficacy, and safety.
3.2 The Stages of Pharmacological Vigilance
The study in [10], indicated that pharmacological
vigilance goes through four basic stages:
A. The clinical stage: This stage can be
expressed as follows:
a. Pre-clinical:
Includes ensuring safety and quality in the drug
research and development process, through the
implementation of chemistry, manufacturing,
and control, regulatory requirements, such as
process validation, quality standards according
to designs, and good laboratory practices.
b. Post-clinical stage:
It is represented by the following:
Ensure adherence to good practice
guidelines to ensure moral quality and
practical credibility when conducting
clinical trials.
Enforce close controlling, analyzing, and
evaluating of reports within clinical
trials/bioequivalence.
B. Marketing approval stage and
manufacturing stage:
It is represented by adopting a risk-based
strategy for all new drug applications, by
requesting information on current drugs,
certificates of manufacturing practices, risk
management plans, and vigilance of drug use.
C. Post-marketing stage: This stage is adopted
in creating a strong regulatory framework
to:
a. Create safety profiles for drugs that are
marketed in cooperation with manufacturing
organizations.
b. Conduct clinical trials for the fourth stage when
it is necessary.
c. Ensuring safety and quality in distribution and
dispensing by controlling drug product
distribution outlets.
d. Post-exclusivity: create a strong legal and
regulated framework to implement international
standards in manufacturing and distribution to
ensure the accurate and modern brand of all
marketed products, according to recently
acquired safety information.
4 Marketing Deception (MD)
4.1 The Concept of MD
MD is one of the immoral practices in the business
world that carry many meanings and implications,
most of which fall under human behavior practices
and the rules and standards that govern this
behavior. And this will show whether the behavior
that accompanies these actions is good or bad, right
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or wrong, [11]. Moreover, the concept of deception
in Islamic law is referred to as a forbidden act, and
neglecting the commands, then everything that goes
against the law is forbidden, whether it is an
increase or decrease. Linguistically it is referred to
as presenting something other than the hidden, [12].
The study in [13] has explained MD as “providing
the customer with false information about services
with intention of selling them by using soft speech,
since the information is correct in form and
incorrect in content”. While the study in [14] has
stated that it is “a group of fabricated problems that
negatively affect the customer directly and a
misleading effect that moves him away from the
truth, as the product is displayed through
undesirable advertisements based on biased
information for one side than the other, or it is
providing the customer with false information about
the products to sell them. The article in [15] has
referred that MD is a type of prevarication and
fraud that aims to persuade the customer to purchase
a good or service by providing misleading and
distorted information by the seller, marketer, or
service provider to obtain a benefit and illegal gain.”
Therefore, MD can be considered as “a type of
immoral practices presented to persuade the
customer to make a purchase decision without
hesitation, or try to obtain information about the
quality and characteristics of the presented product
and thus falling into the trap of MD.”
4.2 The Reasons for the Emergence of MD
Many researchers, including [14], [15], [16], [17]
agreed with the reasons for the emergence of MD
emergence as the following:
1. Disregard moral foundations and rules in
commercial transactions.
2. The desire to maximize illegal profits, and thus
achieve quick wealth, regardless of the legal or
illegal methods that lead to it, adding to that, the
ignorance and lack of knowledge of buying and
selling rules.
3. Marketing practitioners resort to MD on
customers, who make improper purchasing
decisions.
4. Weakness or ineffectiveness in the role played
by customer protection associations.
5. The negativity of customers in the field of
reporting about they have fallen in or noticed
deception and demanding the necessary action
to compensate for the harm sustained as a result
of MD.
6. The deficiencies in the legal legislation
regulating specialized business activities
organizations, whether about prohibition or
criminalization of MD as well as the slowness
of legal procedures in this field.
7. Customers' lack of awareness of MD practices
and inability to detect it, and inability to learn
and benefit from situations in which they were
deceived in one way or another.
8. In many developing countries, we find that the
customer’s cultural level is declining and the
customer lacks a clear idea about the products
he intends to buy for the first time.
4.3 Forms of MD:
There are many methods used in practicing
deception in different organizations which provide
products, and these methods are [18]:
1. Concealment: Concealment is one of the oldest
and most common methods of deception. It
means: that the producer or the marketer
conceals the actual characteristics of the product
or conceals the materials used in manufacturing
the product to convince the customer to buy it.
2. Camouflage: It is more dangerous than the first
type because in this type the customer is
deceived since the product is presented to him
to satisfy his needs and desires. Moreover, the
product is of high quality by presenting some
specifications to the customer in the tested
product sample which is not available in all
products.
3. Corruption: Corruption here means that the
marketer or producer intentionally provides
misleading or incomplete information about the
product to the consumer to motivate him to buy,
or the producer shows only the strengths aspects
and conceals weaknesses of the product.
4.4 The Dimensions of MD
The customer’s suffering from MD methods extends
for long periods and at different times, and this is
through the products offered to him, which seem to
serve him, and satisfy his needs and desires, but in
fact, it was aimed at exploiting him and achieving
higher profits. This matter has increased so many
individuals, groups and official and unofficial
bodies have stimulated the customer to massy
marketing exploitation and deception that the
customer suffers from and the resulting physical and
moral damages. This encourages those who are
interested in marketing to present directions and
recommendations to ensure the protection of
customers in their dealings with producers and
distributors of products, [19]. MD is considered a
moral practice that causes negative effects on
human behavior to obtain a competitive advantage
or benefit. Many researchers including [20], [21],
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[14], [22], [23], [15], [17] agreed that MD is done
through the elements of the products marketing mix
products or the elements of the marketing mix for
services, and both mixes will be discussed according
to the following:
4.5 Deception in the Product
The product is the of organization’s existence, as
every organization existent in the market offers a
product, and many organizations use deception in
the product because of one of two reasons the first:
is that the product offered by the organization is a
necessary product for customers and they do not
check in its ingredients and specifications, that is, it
cannot be dispensed with. Thus, the organization
uses deception to gain the largest amount of profits
by producing it at a very low cost and selling it at an
almost high price. The second is the organization
that outperforms its competitors is being imitated by
others through imitating their products and then
presenting them to the customers at the same price,
but with different specifications, benefiting from a
different product to deceive the customer with the
same specifications of the original product, [24].
The study in [22], deals with deception in the field
of the product as follows:
1. Using brands (brand name) that are similar to
famous and original brands with high quality,
so that the customer gets confused and
deceived, and then buys it believing that it is
the original brand. An example of that is the
(Oshiba) brand which is close to the (Toshiba)
brand.
2. Deception in the weight: writing the total
weight only on the package and writing the net
weight.
3. Enlarging the product package size:
Exaggerated its content, so that it gives the
impression to the customer that it is great
content when it is not.
4. Reducing the packaging content of the product:
such as the weight, and keeping the same price,
instead of raising the price and keeping the
content the same and exploiting the customer’s
prior belief in the linear size of the package that
he is accustomed to.
5. Development or fictitious change in products,
so that only packaging shape is changed, and
the product is advertised in its new or
developed form, to suggest to customers that
the new product is better than the first.
4.6 Price in Deception
On the other hand, price deception is done by
offering low prices compared to similar goods, and
thus the market aims to make an attractive
commodity through its price, as many customers are
interested in the details of the product price, they
buy with the lack of interest in other aspects of the
product such as usage specifications and expiration
date. Moreover, many producers of new brands use
price manipulation policy to build reputation and
market share and attract customers, [25]. There are
many deceptions in the price field, [22]. The study
in [14] has indicated the deceptive practices in the
field of price as follows:
1. Determining the price of the product package
so that the unit price of the larger package is
equal to or greater than the price of the smaller
package. Adding to that, the vast majority of
customers assume that the unit price of the
product of a larger package is less than that of a
smaller package for the same product.
Therefore, the customer, who usually tends to
buy a larger package to save, ends up not
saving, and sometimes he may pay more for
such a package.
2. Determining high prices for some products as
being of high quality, while in fact, they are
not, and marketers who do this exploit the
customers’ belief that the higher the price, the
higher the quality of the product, and this is a
logical belief, especially in the absence of the
customer’s technical knowledge, and turn to
this practice is often rumored with products
such as electronic devices that are used in
houses, ready-made clothes, cosmetics, and
bags.
3. Obliging the ATM operator to bear expenses
that increased what he should incur to withdraw
a certain amount from the machine.
4.7 Deception in Distribution
in this case, deception is carried out by distributing
products to places far from the reach of the
customer, forcing him to make a physical and
psychological effort to satisfy his needs and desires,
as well as not supplying products promptly, or
distinguishing between customers in terms of access
of the quantities and items distributed, [26], and
deceptive practices in the field of distribution can be
identified as follows [16].
1. Some supermarkets indicate the price of the
product without mentioning whether the unit is
per kilogram or for a group of products (the
dozen).
2. Lack of information regarding product sources
offered by some supermarkets.
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3. Some retail stores sell free samples that are
meant to be used to stimulate sales obtained
from producers or wholesalers.
4. Some supermarkets that display vegetables and
fruits use lighting to affect the colors of the
different varieties of goods.
5. Displaying counterfeit products bearing the
original, famous brand, and this type of
deception is usually used by retail stores that
deal with electronic devices when it is not, even
if the prices at which these products are sold
are usually significantly lower than the prices
of their non-counterfeiting counterparts.
4.8 Deception in Promotion
Promotion refers to a group of contacts made by the
producer with prospective customers to introduce
and convince them of the goods and services and
encourage them to buy. Promotion is an important
marketing activity that involves the process of
persuasion and attraction to buy. On the other hand,
promotion is several different elements of
communication with Customers as (advertising,
personal selling, sales promotion, and salesmen) and
all of these elements play a different role in how to
deliver the commodity to customers and encourage
them to buy, and these deceptive practices in the
field of promotion are [16]:
1. Advertisements are characterized by the
impossibility of objective proof of the
invalidity of the claims contained therein, but
they give promises that are difficult to fulfill.
This means advertisements that contain
exaggerated promises that cannot be
objectively proven to be invalid, and at the
same time, it is difficult to measure whether the
promise is fulfilled or not. Although, customers
can believe it.
2. Ads that contain insufficient information, that
is, they do not disclose certain things and are
lacking in the information they contain.
3. Advertisements are characterized by honesty in
one part and dishonesty in the other part.
4. Advertisements about bogus trade discounts
and subsequent price gouging.
5. Medical advertisements and promotions about
weight loss and hair loss drugs, medicinal
herbs, and others without licenses.
6. Classified advertisements contain which do not
secure consequences, such as maintenance of
computers in homes and advertisements for the
sale of electronic devices or furniture that may
be stolen.
7. Concerning personal selling, the marketer hides
some information related to the product from
the customer, as well as praises the product
without indicating its disadvantages while
exaggerating its description.
5 This Paper Differs from Previous
Literature
Their offices are nearby Medicines, Drugs
Medicine, Pharmacists, Nursing Staff, Medical
Agents, Symptoms, Symptoms, Medical Symptoms,
and Medical Products that already exist.
Feedback Actively reporting positive feedback.
This center will collect data or a future reference
source of positive feedback, verify feedback from
feedback, and occasionally, often collect and review
reports of the effects of medicines in healthcare
from different countries. Reports are published and
verified correctly and verified, through their
publication and verification of their publication.
Advocates for drugs and cooperation are solid
and effective among the major players in the field of
pharmacovigilance. The requirement that this
cooperation operate with the expectation and
explanation of a response to the growing demands
and aspirations of the people, officials, planners,
politicians, and health professionals
1. Therefore, he sees that the current time is read
so far until the time of study
2. Improving patients' condition and following up
after using medicines.
3. Reducing the side effects of medications and
complications resulting from the idea.
4. Improving health care for children.
5. Monitoring the safety of the drug to increase its
efficiency and effectiveness.
Reducing the deception that the customer was
exposed to and his use of the drug.
6 Research Hypothesis Testing
6.1 There is No Correlation between the
Pharmacovigilance Variable and the MD
Variable
To identify the nature of the correlation between
drug vigilance and MD, the data in Table 1 indicates
the existence of a positive significant correlation
between the two dimensions, as the value of the
total correlation coefficient reached (0.299) at a
significant level of (0.01). Pharmacovigilance is an
important practice of monitoring drug-related issues
after they have been marketed in the “real world.”
Pharmacovigilance and all related issues are
important for those whose lives are affected in any
WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on BUSINESS and ECONOMICS
DOI: 10.37394/23207.2022.19.168
Mohammad Mahmood Al-Mulla Hasan,
Mohammed Ahmed Mahmood, Mayada Ahmed Said
E-ISSN: 2224-2899
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way by medical interventions. Therefore, this
vigilance that an individual enjoys will reduce
marketing deception. Batali is gradually eliminating
marketing deception in pharmaceutical products. So,
the hypothesis should be rejected and the alternative
hypothesis accepted.
Table 1. Correlation coefficient between
pharmacovigilance and MD
marketing
deception
independent dimension
dependent dimension
(0.299) **
Pharmacovigilance
** Significant at level (0.01) N=527
Source: Prepared by the researchers in light of the
results of the electronic calculator.
6.2 There is No Relationship to the Effect of
Pharmacovigilance in MD
The results of Table 2 refer to the moral analysis
between pharmacological vigilance and MD, as the
calculated (F) value reached (51.428), which is
greater than the scheduled (F) value of (3,841) at the
two degrees of freedom (1,525) and the level of
morality (0.01) And the value of the coefficient of
determination (R2) was (0.089), which indicates that
the percentage of the explained difference in MD
due to the effect of pharmacovigilance is (8.9%) and
the remaining percentage (91.1%) represents the
contribution percentage of the unsearched variables,
and it is inferred from the value of (β) which is
(0.352) and (T) test have an effect of
pharmacological vigilance in MD is (0.352), and in
terms of the calculated (T) value (7.171), which is a
significant value as well as greater than its tabular
value of (1.645), which reflects the nature of
answers The respondents expressed their ability to
explain the effect of pharmacovigilance in
eliminating MD.
In light of the previous data, it was found that
there is an effective relationship between
pharmacological vigilance and MD, but it is
somewhat weak due to the absence of
pharmacological vigilance in the respondents, and
according to what has been clarified the hypothesis
is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is
accepted.
Table 2. The impact relationship between pharmacovigilance and MD
marketing deception
β
F
D.F
2
R
tabular
calculated
0.352 (7.171)
3.841
51.428
1
525
0.089
** Significant at level (0.01) ( ) T calculated N=527
Source: Prepared by the two researchers in light of the results of the electronic calculator
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DOI: 10.37394/23207.2022.19.168
Mohammad Mahmood Al-Mulla Hasan,
Mohammed Ahmed Mahmood, Mayada Ahmed Said
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6.3 The Relative Importance of the
Variables “After MD on the
Pharmacovigilance Dimension” Does Not
Vary)
To verify the validity of the fourth main hypothesis,
the data in Table (3) disclose the following:
1. The product deception variable entered the first
stage as one of the most important variables for
the pharmacovigilance dimension, as the
relative importance of this variable was its
value (0.093), in other words, the differences
explained in the pharmacovigilance dimension
due to the product deception variable according
to the answers of the respondents were (%).
9.3) in terms of the value of the β coefficient
(0.225) and in terms of the calculated T which
are (7.354), and it is greater than its tabular
value (1.645).
2. The price deception variable entered the second
stage, and this variable explained with the first
variable its amount (0.117), this means that the
explained differences in pharmacovigilance
were (11.7 percent) due to the effect of the two
variables (product deception, price deception)
together, while the value of the coefficient
reached β (0.18), which explains both
variables, with a calculated T value of (5.547),
which is greater than its tabulated value
(1.645).
3. The distribution deception variable entered the
third stage, and this variable is explained with
the first and second variables, which amounted
to (0.125), this means that the explained
differences in pharmacovigilance were (12.5
percent) due to the effect of the variables
(deception by product, deception by price,
deception by distribution) together in, While
the value of the coefficient of β was (0.114),
which explains both variables, and in terms of
calculated T value of (3.201), which is greater
than its tabulated value (1.645).
4. The variable of deception by promotion entered
in the last stage, and this variable explains with
each of the first, second, and third variables, in
an amount of (0.127), in other words, the
explained differences in pharmacovigilance
were (12.7 percent) due to the effects of the
variables (product deception, price deception,
Deception by distribution, deception by
promotion) together, and the value of the β-
factor was (0.088) and the calculated T value of
(2.333), which is greater than its tabulated
value (1.645).
Through what was presented above, we note that
the respondents are interested in deception in the
product in the first place, because of the nature of
the products they buy, and that affects their personal
lives, but this deception they are exposed to was
great compared to the results that were seen in the
Table (3) as this percentage The big one came
because of their lack of interest in pharmacological
vigilance, which is an important and necessary
requirement for the process of buying
pharmaceutical products, and thus we notice the rest
of the types of deception in the marketing mix
among the respondents, as deception in price came
in second place, due to the large supply of
pharmaceutical products and different companies,
which contributes to the inability of the individual
To determine the optimum price for these products,
as deception by distribution came in third place, and
finally, deception by promotion.
Accordingly, the relative importance of MD
variables differs from a variable on the
pharmacovigilance dimension, so the third main
hypothesis is rejected, and the alternative hypothesis
is accepted.
Table 3. The relative importance of the effect of pharmacovigilance on MD
stage
D.F
T. Value
β
Relative
importance
Statistical indicator
Variables
tabular
calculated
1
1
525
1.645
7.354
0.225
0.093
Product deception
2
2
524
5.547
0.18
0.117
Product deception + price deception
3
3
523
3.201
0.114
0.125
Product deception + price deception +
distribution deception
4
4
522
2.333
0.088
0.127
Product deception + price deception +
distribution deception + deception by
promotion
** Significant at level (0.01) N=527
Source: Prepared by the researchers in light of the results of the electronic calculator.
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Mohammed Ahmed Mahmood, Mayada Ahmed Said
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In light of what was observed from the results of
Table (3), it was found that vigilance played a major
role in eliminating marketing deception in
pharmaceutical products, but what was observed in
light of the results of the answers of the research
sample individuals that they are deceived when
purchasing pharmaceutical products because of their
ignorance and lack of vigilance using
pharmaceutical products This comes through
researching and surveying the methods of using
medicines, as well as knowing the prices of
pharmaceutical products, comparing them with
competing companies, their distribution locations,
and the proper promotional method for these
products.
4 Conclusions and Suggestions
We conclude our findings as follows,
1. The customer’s suffering from MD methods
extends for long periods and at different times,
and this is through the products offered to him
which seem on the surface to serve him and
satisfy his needs and desires, but in fact, they
aimed to exploit him and achieve the largest
possible amount of profits.
2. The results of the descriptive analysis of the two
dimensions and variables of the study and from
the point of view of the respondents showed that
they were in the positive direction with the
emergence of a variance between the two
dimensions and the variables within one
dimension. This indicates the ability of the
respondents to diagnose and recognize the
concepts adopted by the study and try to
diagnose them through the field side.
3. Pharmacovigilance does not contribute to
eliminating MD according to the answers of
respondents.
4. There is an impact relationship between
pharmacological vigilance and MD, but it is
weak to some extent, due to the absence of
pharmacological vigilance adoption among the
respondents, which negatively affected the
elimination of MD practiced by some
pharmacies operating in the city of Mosul.
5. The relative importance of MD variables varies
from one variable to another in the dimension of
pharmacovigilance.
Our suggestions are as follows,
1. Forming specialized committees which have a
high qualification of efficiency to control
methods of deception and impose severe
penalties for violators.
2. Imposing rules and penalties for those who
practice MD by closing workplaces for a
specified time or financial fines.
3. Forming educational and awareness
committees to clarify methods of MD to
customers, especially in the field of medicines,
whether through workplaces or by visual and
audio means, or editing brochures to be
distributed in pharmacies showing the methods
of cheating and deception.
4. Forming teams from the Pharmacists
association to be neutral in controlling the
pharmacy’s work.
5. Controlling of pharmaceutical companies by
specialized committees in this field, and
checking the raw materials for the
pharmaceutical industry and their conformity
with internationally approved standards.
6. Educate customers about reporting any side
effects that occur as a result of taking medical
drugs to take the necessary measures to reduce
them.
Acknowledgment:
The authors are very grateful to the University of
Mosul, College of Administration and Economics,
for their provided facilities, which helped to
improve the quality of this work
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DOI: 10.37394/23207.2022.19.168
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Mohammed Ahmed Mahmood, Mayada Ahmed Said
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