Prescribing pattern of fixed dose combinations focus on cardiovascular drugs in out patient department of private hospitals

摘要

This study was carried out to find the drug prescribing pattern and rationality of cardiovascular Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs) at out patient department of private hospitals in East Godavari District andhrapradesh, India. Prescriptions of 620 patients suffered by cardiovascular diseases were collected over a period of five months and analysed for average number of drugs per prescription. Collected prescriptions were screened for fixed dose combinations and it classified according to patient's age, gender, duration of drug therapy, cost effectiveness was compared with monotherapy, dosage forms, therapeutic category and dose strength was taken into consideration for evaluate prescribing pattern. Average number of drugs per prescription was 3.65±0.08. Out of 620 cardiovascular prescriptions 234 prescriptions found to have FDCs. In 234 (37.7%) prescriptions, 17 different FDCs were prescribed. Among 234 FDC prescriptions, 124 (52.9%) FDC prescriptions were prescribed for the age group 51-60 years. All the cardiovascular FDCs were prescribed in oral solid dosage forms. Majority of FDCs (46.2%) were prescribed for 1-2 months. In 17 different FDCs, 14 (82.4%) were belongs to antihypertensive category. Out of 17 FDCs analysed, 76.4% were found to be more cost effective than their total cost of individual components. For few FDCs like Telmisartan with Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), Enalapril with HCTZ, Bisoprolol with HCTZ, the total cost of combination was found to be less than that of FDCs. Most of the cardiovascular prescriptions contain Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs) and most of the FDCs were cost effective but out of total FDCs studied none of them was in accordance with WHO essential medical list and National List of Essential Medicine. So, the rationality behind these combinations was questionable. It seems to be further more clinical trials need for these FDCs to substantiate their safety and efficacy.