Abstract

PHARMACOECONOMIC STUDY OF VARIOUS BRANDS OF ANTIBIOTIC MEDICATIONS IN INDIA

Zubin Shah*, Apurva Dighe, Dr.Vaishali Londhe

Abstract

Strep throat is a bacterial throat infection that can make your throat feel sore and scratchy. Research shows that up to 15 million people in the United States go to doctor for a sore throat every year out of which 70 percent of patients receive antibiotics for a sore throat according to the Infectious diseases society of America. Several researches, including those conducted by WHO in India, have revealed that over-the-counter sale and purchase of antibiotics is rampant in the country. In an era of spiraling health care costs and limited resources, policy makers and health care payers are also concerned about the cost effectiveness of antibiotics. So the aim of the work focuses on analyzing the cost effectiveness of antibiotic medications for strep throat. The cost of different brands of commonly used antibiotic medications was sorted out by referring Drugs today. The cost was calculated in INR (Indian National Rupee) for different brands according to their strength. Significant variation was observed in cost of commonly used brands. Cost for branded solid dosage forms of 250 mg and 500 mg was three times more than that of the cheaper drugs for amoxicillin, four to five times more in case of cephalexin and two to three times more in case of erythromycin. Ideally the drugs of cheaper brands should be prescribed to save the patient's money and to enhance the compliance.

Keywords: Antibiotic drugs, strep throat, cost effectiveness, cheaper brands, patient’s money, enhance compliance.