[Analysis and interpretation of non-reimbursed antibiotic use data in Hungary]

The present paper describes one special field of the Hungarian ambulatory care antibiotic consumption: it focuses on the non-reimbursed antibiotic use and interprets it by using different measurement units, including the WHO recommended DDD per 1000 inhabitants and per day. The most commonly dispensed active agents belonged to the penicillin, tetracycline or sulfonamide antibacterial groups. Although the non-reimbursed antibiotic use increased during the study period, it was still low in 2004, representing approximately 2% of total Hungarian ambulatory care antibiotic use. Our study also revealed interregional differences in the non-reimbursed antibiotic use, which was outstanding in some western Hungarian counties.