Antidiabetic drug utilization in hungary

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology and Therapeutics
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Diabetes mellitus is a growing global health concern.
• Understanding antidiabetic drug utilization is crucial for effective public health strategies.
• Hungary experienced significant changes in antidiabetic prescribing patterns during the study period.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the trends in antidiabetic drug consumption in Hungary from 1998 to 2002.
• To identify shifts in the utilization of oral antidiabetics (OAD) versus insulin.
• To examine the changing landscape of specific antidiabetic drug classes and individual medications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system and Defined Daily Dose (DDD) methodology.
• Analyzed drug consumption data from the National Health Insurance and MIS Consulting Company.
• Focused on antidiabetic medications registered in Hungary between 1998 and 2002.

Main Results:

• Total antidiabetic consumption increased by 41.8%, reaching 47.59 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day in 2002.
• Insulin consumption saw a substantial rise of 67.8%, while oral antidiabetic (OAD) use grew by 33.41%.
• Sulfonylureas remained the most used OAD class, but metformin increasingly replaced buformin, and glibenclamide was the most frequently used drug.

Conclusions:

• Insulin therapy gained prominence in antidiabetic treatment regimens.
• Shifts in OAD use indicated a move away from sulfonylureas towards biguanides and acarbose.
• Despite therapeutic recommendations, outdated antidiabetic drugs like buformin and non-micronized glibenclamide persisted in use.