COST ANALYSIS AND VARIATION OF ORAL ANTIFUNGAL AGENTS IN THE INDIAN MARKET: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY USING DEFINED DAILY DOSE (DDD) METHODOLOGY

Background: Fungal infections are a major health issue in India, necessitating accessible and affordable antifungal therapies. Signicant cost variations among different brands of oral antifungal agents may impact patient adherence and treatment outcomes. Objective: To assess the cost variation among commonly prescribed oral antifungal agents in the Indian market using Dened Daily Dose (DDD) for standardized comparison. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using data from CIMS, MedGuide India and major online pharmacy platforms. Drugs were analysed based on minimum and maximum prices, cost ratios, and percentage cost variations. Results: A total of nine oral antifungalagentswereanalysedfor cost variationamongmultiplebrandsavailable inthe Indianmarket.Themaximumnumberof brands was observed foritraconazole (49 brands), followed by griseofulvin (43 brands) and terbinane (20 brands). Posaconazole exhibited the highest cost variation (5414%), followed by itraconazole (2960%). A weak correlation was observed between the numberofbrandsandpricevariation.Conclusion:Signicant cost variationsexistamongoralantifungalagents inIndia.Stronger priceregulationandcost-consciousprescribingarenecessary toimprovetreatmentaccessibility.