engleski

Use of WHO Essential Drugs in Croatia and Sweden.

The WHO Essential Medicines List (EML) includes some 300 drugs that should satisfy the health care needs for the majority of the population. Model lists are informational and educational tools originally intended for developing countries, but an increasing number of developed countries also use the key components of the essential drugs concept. We evaluated the quality of outpatient drug use in Croatia and Sweden, focusing on medicines accounting for 90% of the use - Drug Utilization 90% (DU90%) - in Defined Daily Doses and adherence to the WHO Essential Medicines List. Data on dispensed prescription and OTC drugs were collected from the wholesalers in Croatia and the National Corporation of Pharmacies in Sweden for 2003. In Croatia 95 substances (24% of 388) accounted for 90% of the use compared to174 (21% of 828) in Sweden. The adherence to the WHO EML within DU90% was 40% in Croatia and 37% in Sweden. Including in the list all the alternatives to drugs marked with a square symbol, the adherence rose to 73% in Croatia and 53% in Sweden. Although the total adherence was similar between the countries, there were substantial differences in the range of drugs used in some therapeutic areas. The low adherence in both countries was partly explained by me-too medicines and extensively used drugs not included in the list (e.g. proton pump inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and statins). The absence of these products from the WHO model list is a serious deficiency. The DU90% profiles provided a quick overview of potentials for improvement in both countries but also a reflection on the relevance of the WHO Essential Medicines

essential drug list; DU90%

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