Trends in the utilization of nervous system drugs in Croatia during the period 2007-2010

Pero Draganic, Viola Macolic-Sarinic, Sasa Zezelic. Croatian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (HALMED), Pharacoeconomics&Pharmacovigillance, Croatia

INTRODUCTION / GOAL

The evaluation of drug consumption is a system of continuous, systematic, criteria-based drug evaluation that ensures the appropriate usage of drugs. A comprehensive insight into drug utilization as an economic and a public health issue can only be acquired in the context of overall health state of the respective population. The goal is to investigate the utilisation trends of the drugs used in nervous system in Croatia during the period of 2007-2010 with an emphasis on the most common pharmacological/therapeutic subgroups.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Croatian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (HALMED) collected and analysed data of drug utilization in Croatia. These data were used to calculate the number of defined daily doses (DDD) and DDD per 1000 inhabitants per day (DDD/1000/day) in period 2007-2010 using Anatomical-Therapeutic-Chemical methodology (ATC).

RESULTS

The utilisation of all nervous system drugs increased by 32.00% (from 112.4 DDD/1000/day in 2007 to 148.3 DDD/1000/day in 2010), while the total cost increased by 27.1% (from 617.4 Mill HRK in 2007 to 784.8 Mill HRK in 2010). The utilisation of psychoanaleptics (N06), measured in DDD/1000/day increased the most (38.9%), followed by psycholeptic agents (N05) (30.9%). Otherwise, the utilization of drugs measured in HRK indicate that the antiepileptics (N03) increased the most (41%), followed by analgesics (N02) (24%), and then followed by psycholeptics (21%) and psychoanaleptics (17%).Three the most prescribed drugs in group N of ATC in the period 2007-2010 were anxiolytics diazepam with the increase of 33.8% and alprazolam with the increase of 40.5%, followed by zolpidem (hypnotic) with the increase of 63.1%.

CONCLUSION

The utilisation of nervous system drugs increased significantly in the 2007-2010 period. The drugs obtained in the Croatian market showed a continuous increase in DDD/1000inh/day as well as in the financial costs. For the entire period diazepam, alprazolam and zolpidem were the most prescribed drugs. The overall consumption of nervous system drugs in Croatia in the period 2007-2010 is 112-148 DDD/1000inh/day, and is lower than in EU and other Western countries, where the consumption of nervous system drugs revolves around 190-260 DDD/1000inh/day, but, related to the distribution in therapeutic subgroups, the utilization is similar to the Western countries. Further analysis of this issue is needed.