AWARE-BASED COMPARISON OF ANTIBIOTIC DOSAGE FORMS IN POLAND AND UKRAINE

The aim of the work was to comparatively analyze antibacterial medicinal products registered in Poland and Ukraine according to the World Health Organization AWaRe classification, with emphasis on dosage form diversity, age-specific orientation, and rational antibiotic use. Materials and Methods. A descriptive comparative analysis was conducted using official data from the State Register of Medicinal Products of Ukraine and the Polish Medical Register as of early 2025. The dataset included 904 antibacterial products registered in Ukraine and 737 in Poland. Quantitative structural analysis was applied to assess the distribution of dosage forms within the Access, Watch, and Reserve groups, with particular focus on oral, parenteral, inhalation, pediatric-, and dysphagia-adapted formulations. Results and Discussion. Marked structural differences between the two markets were identified. In Poland, oral dosage forms predominated in the Access (71.41%) and Watch (66.66%) groups, whereas in Ukraine their shares were lower (64.77% and 44.18%, respectively). Parenteral formulations were more prevalent in Ukraine, accounting for 55.08% of the Watch group and 67.91% of the Reserve group, compared with 37.54% and 58.66% in Poland. Pediatric- and dysphagia-adapted dosage forms were more consistently represented in Poland (19.04% of Access and 17.85% of Watch antibiotics) than in Ukraine (17.61% and 9.61%, respectively). Inhalation antibacterial medicines constituted 1.76% of registered products in Poland and were present in all AWaRe groups, whereas in Ukraine they were limited to two Watch-group products and absent from the Access and Reserve categories. Conclusions. The Polish antibiotic portfolio demonstrates greater balance and diversification, with predominance of oral and patient-adapted dosage forms supporting outpatient treatment and antimicrobial stewardship. In contrast, the Ukrainian market is hospital-oriented, with reliance on parenteral formulations and limited availability of patient-adapted antibiotics. Expansion of oral and pediatric-oriented dosage forms in Ukraine is required to improve access to first-line therapy and alignment with WHO AWaRe principles.