[Potential impact of measures to minimize drug costs in Aragon's primary care system]

To analyse the potential saving in pharmaceutical expenditure which the use of drug products of the same composition and lower price would suppose, by three high-consumption therapeutic sub-groups.

Retrospective observation study.

Primary care.

All the medical prescriptions of the doctors in the 121 primary care health districts in the three provinces of the Autonomous Community of Aragon during 1997, divided into the sub-groups: peptic ulcer (AO2B), lipid-lowering (B04A) and hypotensor drugs (C02).

Consumption, cost of treatment per day and potential saving of eight active principles belonging to these 3 sub-groups were calculated. Potential overall saving reached the figure of 972 million pesetas in Aragon in 1997.

The alternative of prescribing drugs with an identical composition and lower price offers great potential savings in pharmaceutical expenditure, and may be a useful measure to improve the efficiency of health resources, and in particular those devoted to drug prescription.