Evaluation of drug utilisation pattern and cost associated with diabetes mellitusType 2 management in Saudi Arabia

Abstract Diabetic mellitus is an emerging disease in Saudi Arabia. In this regard, a cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted to evaluate drug utilization pattern and the cost associated with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus disease management in Saudi Arabia. Data retrieved from the electronic pharmacy records during the last one year were employed in this study. World Health Organization (WHO) Defined Daily Dose (DDD) method was employed to compute the daily price of each oral hypoglycaemic agent. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines and protocols were used to evaluate the level of adherence. A total of 17057 patients were enrolled in the study. Out of the 17057 patients enrolled in the study, 60.06 % (10246) were males and the rest females. In monotherapy, biguanides (metformin) were the most recommended and utilised drugs among 5673 patients (33.25%). The most commonly used drug combination was found to be sitagliptin+metformin (1754 units). The cost per unit dose was highest for liraglutide (A10BJ02) 258.32SR (68.79USD), and lowest for metformin (A10BA02) 0.49SR (0.13 USD). Metformin was the choice drug for the diabetes patients; biguanides (metformin) and DPP-4 (sitagliptins) were the most familiar established dose combination employed. Generic drugs should be used in order to reduce overall cost.

Study of orthopedic morbidities among outdoor patients in a medical college in District Ambedkarnagar, India.

Introduction: Congenital bone diseases, nutritional disorders like rickets, infective or metabolic conditions and trauma of bones and joints are most common orthopedic problems encountered among outdoor patients. This study was conducted to find out the prevalence of different orthopedic morbidities amongst outdoor patients of the Department of Orthopedics, Government Medical College, and District Ambedkarnagar. Material and Methods: These six months, observational, outdoor department study was carried out in Department of Orthopedics, Government Medical College, Ambedkarnagar, India. A total of 1000 individuals gave their consent and participated in the study. A structured, pretested schedule was used to collect the data on the demographic characteristics (age, gender, religion) and orthopedic problems. The data was analyzed using SPSS software. Results: A higher proportion of the outdoor patients was aged between 16-60 years (82.6%) and was females (50.1%). A higher percentage of orthopedic problems encountered were regional conditions of limbs (23.7%), followed by traumatic (23.0%) and degenerative (22.7%).Traumatic causes and neuromuscular disorders were more common among the males while degenerative, regional and rheumatic conditions were more common among the females. Conclusion: Larger nationwide community based studies are required to know the extent of the orthopedic problems and formulate better health policies.