Prescription analysis and cost of antidepressant drugs in major depressive disorder outpatients at the tertiary care hospital of Pakistan: a prospective approach

Sohail Kamran; Zakir Khan; Muhammad Saqlain; Zahid Nazar; Muska Khan; Zulnorain Ali; Haroon Rashid; Kifayat Ullah Shah; Yusuf Karatas; Najeeb Ur Rahman

doi:10.1080/14737167.2022.2021073

Prescription analysis and cost of antidepressant drugs in major depressive disorder outpatients at the tertiary care hospital of Pakistan: a prospective approach

Sohail Kamran, Zakir Khan, Muhammad Saqlain, Zahid Nazar, Muska Khan, Zulnorain Ali, Haroon Rashid, Kifayat Ullah Shah, Yusuf Karatas, Najeeb Ur Rahman

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Objectives: To assess prescribing care indicators, utilization pattern, cost per prescription, cost ratios, and percent cost variation of antidepressants (ADs). Method: A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out at the tertiary care hospital of Peshawar, Pakistan among major depressive disorder (MDD) outpatients from July 2019 to February 2020. The ideal standards for World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing care indicators were used. The ePharma Guide was used to calculate the cost in Pakistani rupees (Rs) and United States dollar (USD) 2021 (exchange rate: 1 USD = 154.43 Rs). Results: A total of 296 MDD patients received 846 drugs (average 2.86; range:1–8), of which 366 were ADs (average number ADs/prescription; 1.23). About 23% (n = 68) of patients received more than one AD. Only 21 (5.7%) generic ADs were prescribed, and 346 (94.5%) ADs were prescribed from the hospital formulary list. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the most prescribed ADs (67.5%). The average cost of ADs per prescription per month was 700.95 Rs (4.54 USD). Escitalopram (5.69 Rs; 0.04 USD) showed highest cost ratio and maximum percentage cost variation (468.97%). Conclusion: This study observed low generic prescribing, a higher prescribing trend of SSRI, wide differences in cost ratio and percentage cost variation among ADs.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	845-851
Number of pages	7
Journal	Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research
Volume	22
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/14737167.2022.2021073
Publication status	Published - 2022
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Antidepressants
Pakistan
cost
drugs
generic drugs
hospital

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1080/14737167.2022.2021073

Cite this

Kamran, S., Khan, Z., Saqlain, M., Nazar, Z., Khan, M., Ali, Z., Rashid, H., Shah, K. U., Karatas, Y., & Rahman, N. U. (2022). Prescription analysis and cost of antidepressant drugs in major depressive disorder outpatients at the tertiary care hospital of Pakistan: a prospective approach. Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, 22(5), 845-851. https://doi.org/10.1080/14737167.2022.2021073

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title = "Prescription analysis and cost of antidepressant drugs in major depressive disorder outpatients at the tertiary care hospital of Pakistan: a prospective approach",

abstract = "Objectives: To assess prescribing care indicators, utilization pattern, cost per prescription, cost ratios, and percent cost variation of antidepressants (ADs). Method: A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out at the tertiary care hospital of Peshawar, Pakistan among major depressive disorder (MDD) outpatients from July 2019 to February 2020. The ideal standards for World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing care indicators were used. The ePharma Guide was used to calculate the cost in Pakistani rupees (Rs) and United States dollar (USD) 2021 (exchange rate: 1 USD = 154.43 Rs). Results: A total of 296 MDD patients received 846 drugs (average 2.86; range:1–8), of which 366 were ADs (average number ADs/prescription; 1.23). About 23\% (n = 68) of patients received more than one AD. Only 21 (5.7\%) generic ADs were prescribed, and 346 (94.5\%) ADs were prescribed from the hospital formulary list. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the most prescribed ADs (67.5\%). The average cost of ADs per prescription per month was 700.95 Rs (4.54 USD). Escitalopram (5.69 Rs; 0.04 USD) showed highest cost ratio and maximum percentage cost variation (468.97\%). Conclusion: This study observed low generic prescribing, a higher prescribing trend of SSRI, wide differences in cost ratio and percentage cost variation among ADs.",

keywords = "Antidepressants, Pakistan, cost, drugs, generic drugs, hospital",

author = "Sohail Kamran and Zakir Khan and Muhammad Saqlain and Zahid Nazar and Muska Khan and Zulnorain Ali and Haroon Rashid and Shah, \{Kifayat Ullah\} and Yusuf Karatas and Rahman, \{Najeeb Ur\}",

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year = "2022",

doi = "10.1080/14737167.2022.2021073",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "22",

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Kamran, S, Khan, Z, Saqlain, M, Nazar, Z, Khan, M, Ali, Z, Rashid, H, Shah, KU, Karatas, Y & Rahman, NU 2022, 'Prescription analysis and cost of antidepressant drugs in major depressive disorder outpatients at the tertiary care hospital of Pakistan: a prospective approach', Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 845-851. https://doi.org/10.1080/14737167.2022.2021073

Prescription analysis and cost of antidepressant drugs in major depressive disorder outpatients at the tertiary care hospital of Pakistan: a prospective approach. / Kamran, Sohail; Khan, Zakir; Saqlain, Muhammad et al.
In: Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, Vol. 22, No. 5, 2022, p. 845-851.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Prescription analysis and cost of antidepressant drugs in major depressive disorder outpatients at the tertiary care hospital of Pakistan

T2 - a prospective approach

AU - Kamran, Sohail

AU - Khan, Zakir

AU - Saqlain, Muhammad

AU - Nazar, Zahid

AU - Khan, Muska

AU - Ali, Zulnorain

AU - Rashid, Haroon

AU - Shah, Kifayat Ullah

AU - Karatas, Yusuf

AU - Rahman, Najeeb Ur

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Objectives: To assess prescribing care indicators, utilization pattern, cost per prescription, cost ratios, and percent cost variation of antidepressants (ADs). Method: A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out at the tertiary care hospital of Peshawar, Pakistan among major depressive disorder (MDD) outpatients from July 2019 to February 2020. The ideal standards for World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing care indicators were used. The ePharma Guide was used to calculate the cost in Pakistani rupees (Rs) and United States dollar (USD) 2021 (exchange rate: 1 USD = 154.43 Rs). Results: A total of 296 MDD patients received 846 drugs (average 2.86; range:1–8), of which 366 were ADs (average number ADs/prescription; 1.23). About 23% (n = 68) of patients received more than one AD. Only 21 (5.7%) generic ADs were prescribed, and 346 (94.5%) ADs were prescribed from the hospital formulary list. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the most prescribed ADs (67.5%). The average cost of ADs per prescription per month was 700.95 Rs (4.54 USD). Escitalopram (5.69 Rs; 0.04 USD) showed highest cost ratio and maximum percentage cost variation (468.97%). Conclusion: This study observed low generic prescribing, a higher prescribing trend of SSRI, wide differences in cost ratio and percentage cost variation among ADs.

AB - Objectives: To assess prescribing care indicators, utilization pattern, cost per prescription, cost ratios, and percent cost variation of antidepressants (ADs). Method: A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out at the tertiary care hospital of Peshawar, Pakistan among major depressive disorder (MDD) outpatients from July 2019 to February 2020. The ideal standards for World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing care indicators were used. The ePharma Guide was used to calculate the cost in Pakistani rupees (Rs) and United States dollar (USD) 2021 (exchange rate: 1 USD = 154.43 Rs). Results: A total of 296 MDD patients received 846 drugs (average 2.86; range:1–8), of which 366 were ADs (average number ADs/prescription; 1.23). About 23% (n = 68) of patients received more than one AD. Only 21 (5.7%) generic ADs were prescribed, and 346 (94.5%) ADs were prescribed from the hospital formulary list. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the most prescribed ADs (67.5%). The average cost of ADs per prescription per month was 700.95 Rs (4.54 USD). Escitalopram (5.69 Rs; 0.04 USD) showed highest cost ratio and maximum percentage cost variation (468.97%). Conclusion: This study observed low generic prescribing, a higher prescribing trend of SSRI, wide differences in cost ratio and percentage cost variation among ADs.

KW - Antidepressants

KW - Pakistan

KW - cost

KW - drugs

KW - generic drugs

KW - hospital

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85122137204

U2 - 10.1080/14737167.2022.2021073

DO - 10.1080/14737167.2022.2021073

M3 - Article

C2 - 34927501

AN - SCOPUS:85122137204

SN - 1473-7167

VL - 22

SP - 845

EP - 851

JO - Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research

JF - Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research

IS - 5

ER -

Prescription analysis and cost of antidepressant drugs in major depressive disorder outpatients at the tertiary care hospital of Pakistan: a prospective approach

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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