Trends and Current Status of Oral Anticoagulant Use in Hospitalized Patients in China / 中国药学杂志

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the trends and current status of oral anticoagulant (OAC) use in hospitalized patients. METHODS: OAC prescriptions of inpatients during 2012 to 2016 were extracted from the database of hospital prescription analysis cooperation program. The extracted prescriptions were restricted to hospitals which located in 5 major cities of China. The number of patients and cost of drugs were calculated and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 258 276 prescriptions were extracted. The number of patients using OAC increased every year. Warfarin was the most frequently prescribed OAC, but the portion of warfarin decreased. Non vitamin-K antagonist anticoagulants (NOAC) including rivaroxaban increased rapidly. Imbalance existed between warfarin and NOAC on patient population and cost. The use of OAC differed by indications and specialists. CONCLUSION: The number of patients and cost of drugs increased every year while NOAC had taken a large portion of cost. Attention should be payed to the rationality of OAC use.