Assessing the effectiveness of webinars in delivering knowledge of natural products and pharmapreneurship / Nurul Alyaa Ibrahim, Nur ‘Ainun Mokhtar and Siti Nur Fadzilah Muhsain

Globally, natural products have played a pivotal role in drug discovery and the healthcare industry. Southeast Asia countries, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia, holds vast potential for innovative pharmaceuticals that integrate biodiversity with traditional knowledge. However, translating these resources into commercially viable products requires expertise in both pharmaceutical science and entrepreneurship, an emerging field known as pharmapreneurship. Pharmapreneurship, a concept that merges pharmaceutical aspects with entrepreneurial strategies to market natural product-based therapies, is a new field that has yet to be discovered in Malaysia. Given the limited local expertise in Malaysia, this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a webinar as a knowledge-sharing platform on natural products and pharmapreneurship. This issue can be addressed through a webinar, which gathers participants and speakers worldwide. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a webinar in delivering knowledge on natural products and pharmapreneurship. A total of 388 participants participated in this study, with simple questions used to gauge their understanding. The effectiveness of the webinar is measured by comparing participants’ knowledge before and after the webinar. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.0 and presented in tables and percentages. The findings revealed a significant improvement in participants’ knowledge following the webinar (p<0.001). In conclusion, this study underscores the role of webinars in enhancing professional education, especially in niche fields where expertise is limited. While the convenience sampling and simple question format were the limitations, presented results provide empirical support for webinars as effective tools for continuous learning and knowledge dissemination in pharmacy education for the advancement of pharmapreneurship.