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Availability and Price Variations of Commonly Used Cardiovascular Medicines at Community and Hospital Pharmacies in

Liknaw Workie Limenh1, Tewodros Ayalew Tessema1, Ashenafi Kibret Sendekie2

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutics School of Pharmacy College of Medicine and Health Sciences University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Biomed Research International
|September 25, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Cardiovascular medications are scarce and costly in Gondar Town, Ethiopia. Community pharmacies offer better availability and lower prices for essential cardiovascular drugs compared to hospital pharmacies.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Public Health
  • Health Economics

Background:

  • Access to essential cardiovascular medications is a significant challenge in developing nations, particularly for low-income populations.
  • Unavailability and high costs severely limit the procurement of cardiovascular drugs in both hospital and community pharmacies.
  • This study addresses the critical need to evaluate medication access in Gondar Town, Ethiopia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the availability and price variations of commonly prescribed cardiovascular medicines.
  • To compare medication access between hospital and community pharmacies in Gondar Town, Ethiopia.
  • To inform strategies for improving cardiovascular drug accessibility.

Main Methods:

  • A mixed-methods approach combining cross-sectional survey and simulated client methodology.
  • Data collected from 13 community pharmacies and 2 hospital pharmacies in Gondar Town between July 13 and August 6, 2022.
  • Statistical analysis using SPSS version 25, with paired t-tests to examine price differences.

Main Results:

  • Community pharmacies stocked 33.22% of surveyed cardiovascular drugs, while hospital pharmacies had 28.00% availability.
  • Aspirin, amlodipine, atorvastatin, and hydrochlorothiazide were among the most frequently available medications in community settings.
  • Hospital pharmacies offered significantly lower average prices ($0.699) for cardiovascular drugs compared to community pharmacies ($2.741).

Conclusions:

  • Cardiovascular medications are more available in community pharmacies than hospital pharmacies in Gondar Town, though overall availability falls short of WHO/HAI recommendations.
  • A statistically significant price difference exists, with community pharmacies being considerably more expensive.
  • Addressing medication availability and affordability is crucial for improving cardiovascular disease management in the region.

Keywords:
availabilitycardiovascular disease drugscommunity pharmacieshospital pharmaciesprice variation

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