The extent of price variation amongst branded antihypertensive drugs and its association with number of pharmaceutical companies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20150689Keywords:
Antihypertensive drugs, Price variation, Pharmaceuticals, BrandedAbstract
Background: The study was performed to analyze the extent of price variation amongst branded antihypertensive drugs in India and the relation of this price variation to number of pharmaceutical companies manufacturing/marketing these drugs.
Methods: Price of different brands of antihypertensive drugs was collected from authentic sources. The data were segregated and the percentage price variation was calculated applying suitable statistical tools.
Results: A total of 116 formulations from different companies representing 38 antihypertensive drugs were analyzed. Maximum price variation (3233.33%) was seen with 10 mg dose of propranolol. In general the price variations are proportionally correlated to the number of pharmaceutical companies.
Conclusions: Price variation of great extent was found among many formulations. Physicians should be aware of these variations for choosing the appropriate brand for rational therapeutics. This will reduce the burden on patients and family.
References
Kearney PM, Whelton M, Reynolds K, Muntner P, Whelton PK, Jiang He. Global burden of hypertension: analysis of worldwide data. Lancet. 2005;15-21;365(9455):217-23.
Chaturvedi M, Jindal S, Kumar R. Lifestyle modification in hypertension in the Indian context. J Indian Acad Commun Med. 2009;10:46-51.
Noncommunicable diseases country profiles 2011. http://www.who.int/nmh/countries/ind_en.pdf, Accessed 10 August 2015.
Priya D, Purohit S, Pandey BL. Drug utilization study and evaluation of anti-hypertensive prescriptions from medical reimbursement applications at university health care facility, BHU, Varanasi. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci. 2015;7(6): 283-6.
Rimoy GH, Justin-Temu M, Nilay C. Prescribing patterns and cost of antihypertensive drugs in private hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. East Cent. Afr. J. Pharm. Sci. 2008;11:69-73.
Fretheim A and Oxman AD. International variation in prescribing antihypertensive drugs: Its extent and possible explanations. BMC Health Services Research. 2005;5:21.
Goldbaum M. Epidemiologia e serviços de saúde. Cad SaúdenPúbl. 1996;12(Suppl. 2):95-8.
Malhotra S, Karan RS, Pandhi P, Jain S. Pattern of use and pharmacoeconomic impact of antihypertensive drugs in a north Indian referral hospital. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2001;57(6-7):535-40.
Ravi Shankar P, Subish P, Bhandari RB, Mishra P, Saha AC. Ambiguous pricing of topical dermatological products: A survey of brands from two South Asian countries. Journal of Pakistan Association of Dermatologists. 2006;16:134-40.
Jadhav NB, Bhosale MS, Adhav CV. Cost analysis study of oral antidiabetic drugs available in Indian market. Int J Med Res Health Sci. 2013;2(1):63-9.