DRUG PRESCRIBING PATTERN AND COST ANALYSIS OF ANTIPSYCHOTICS AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Objective: Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorders rapidly rising in India. There are numerous classes of antipsychotic agents available. It is important to find out which are the most frequently prescribed antipsychotics in population subsets of various regions of the country. Similarly, it is also important to do apharmacoeconomic evaluation of such treatment. Thus the primary objective of the study was to observe the prescribing pattern and evaluate the average cost of antipsychotics used. Methods: The drug prescribing pattern was noted from the Psychiatry OPD of Modern Institute of Medical Science, Indore and cost analysis performed for the drugs used. The data from OPD card of patients was obtained in a structured study proforma. Results: In 6 months, 304 cases reviewed out of which 158(52%) cases were of Schizophrenia. The Female to Male ratio of patients was 1.24. The average drugs per prescription were 3.17.68% of patients were on monotherapy. Out of total antipsychotics prescribed, 35.39% were Typical and 64.61% were Atypical Antipsychotics. Most commonly prescribed antipsychotic drugs were Olanzapine (28.08%), followed by Risperidone (25.84%) and Haloperidol (23.03%), among single agent antipsychotic drugs, while Trifluoperazine-trihexyphenidyl HCl (42.85%) was the most commonly prescribed fixed-dose combination. Average cost per prescription calculated was Rs.519.30. Medication cost (calculated for 30 days) was maximum for Aripiprazole (Rs 261.96) and cheapest for Olanzapine (Rs 111.12). Conclusion: Majority of Schizophrenic patients were treated with the atypical antipsychotic Olanzapine which is also the most cost effective drug.