Pharmacoeconomic Analysis of Anti-Diabetic and Antihypertensive Drugs in Rural Settings of Gujarat, India

Drug Utilisation Pattern(DUP) greatly influences the therapy given in chronic illnesses such as type-2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) and hypertension(HTN) in patients with different age groups and different genders. Pharmacoeconomic evaluation of these chronic illnesses helps to suggest a reduction in the economic burden on society, thereby improving the healthcare system. This study was to check the pharmacoeconomic evaluation and DUP in patients of T2DM and HTN. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted for a time frame of six months. 163 OPD patients were enrolled in this study. All male and female patients suffering from T2DM and HTN, who were taking oral hypoglycemic agents(OHAs) as well as anti-hypertensive agents were included in this study; their data was collected in a pre-designed data collection form. Cost per unit of prescribed therapy and lowest priced product were collected to calculate monthly cost of therapy and finally the annual cost of therapy. A total of 150 prescriptions were fit for analysis scrutinising various parameters. Metformin 500mg was the most common OHA prescribed and Amlodipine 5mg was the most commonly prescribed anti-hypertensive drug. The patient's educational status was analyzed showing disease prevalence more in patients who were illiterate and belonged to the rural background. A large difference of 44.22% was found in the annual costs of prescribed brands and suggested brands of anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive drugs for both monotherapy and combination therapy in 150 patients. This study is unique in its kind as DUP and Pharmacoeconomic analysis for the two diseases namely T2DM and HTN was done at the same time.