Measuring Medicine Use: Applying ATC/DDD Methodology to Real-World Data.

Area of Science:

• * Public Health
• * Pharmacoepidemiology
• * Health Services Research

Background:

• * Medicines are crucial for managing acute, communicable, and non-communicable diseases globally.
• * The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a toolkit for drug utilization studies to assess medicine prescribing, dispensing, and usage.
• * There is an increasing demand for robust medicine use studies in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), especially within universal health coverage frameworks.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To provide a concise guide on applying the WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC)/Defined Daily Dose (DDD) methodology in pharmacoepidemiological research.
• * To focus on the practical application of this methodology within LMIC contexts.
• * To encourage the publication of drug utilization studies and promote quality research practices.

Main Methods:

• * Review of WHO resources and existing scientific literature on drug utilization studies.
• * Inclusion of examples and case studies to illustrate the application of the ATC/DDD methodology.
• * Discussion of the importance of rigorous methodology and quality assessment in pharmacoepidemiological research.

Main Results:

• * The commentary outlines the systematic approach of the WHO ATC/DDD methodology for evaluating medicine use.
• * It highlights the relevance and adaptability of this methodology for LMIC settings.
• * The importance of conducting and publishing high-quality drug utilization studies is underscored.

Conclusions:

• * The WHO ATC/DDD methodology offers a standardized approach for conducting drug utilization studies, particularly valuable in LMIC.
• * Researchers are encouraged to undertake and publish such studies to inform public health policies and improve medicine access.
• * Adherence to reporting guidelines like RECORD-PE is recommended to enhance the quality and impact of published pharmacoepidemiological research.