A drug utilisation study investigating prescribed daily doses of hypolipidaemic agents

To estimate average prescribed daily doses (PDDs) for selected hypolipidaemic agents available on the South African market. Comparison of the estimated PDDs with established DDDs (defined daily doses) and international dosage ranges. To investigate the age and gender of the users of the different hypolipidaemic drugs and drug groups.

Retrospective drug utilisation study using data from an organisation involved in the pre-certification of chronic medication.

Doctors and patients in South Africa. Participants. A total of 2,336 patients of various medical aids who were using cholesterol-lowering medication on a chronic basis.

The PDDs, for the complete sample and for the age and gender groups.

More than 90% of all hyperlipidaemic patients in the study were treated with HMG CoA reductase inhibitors or fibrates. The average PDDs for the three most frequently prescribed lipid-lowering drugs were 414.4 mg for bezafibrate, 12.5 mg for pravastatin and 12.6 mg for simvastatin. The PDDs were on average lower than the established DDDs. Differences were observed in the pattern of lipid-lowering drug prescriptions for women and men. Male users were on average 3.9 years younger than female users.

The PDDs used in the patient population studied were within locally and internationally acceptable dosage ranges, but were generally lower than established DDDs for lipid-lowering drugs. Prescription differences exist between female and male patients and between age groups with regard to chronic medication. Further studies should be conducted to investigate hypolipidaemic drug prescribing in patients who are not on chronic medication.