Incidence of potential drug interactions in co-prescription of statins and macrolide antibiotics in Croatia during the 14 year period.

The objective of this study was to determine the number of patients on the national level that took macrolide antibiotics along with chronic statin therapy in Croatia in the period from 2002 to 2015, and to analyse prescription patterns. In 2002, statins were used in the treatment of 2.6% of the total number of insured persons in Croatia. By 2015, this number increased to 8.4%. In the period studied, on average 15.3% of the patients on statin therapy were co-prescribed macrolide antibiotics. Erythromycin was combined with different statins on average in 1.4% of cases, clarithromycin in 25.5% and azithromycin in 73.2% of the cases. Relative frequency of combining statins with macrolides was similar for all statins. On average, 11.5% of patients on concomitant statin-macrolide therapy were taking high-dose statins. On average, 90% of these co-prescriptions can lead to potentially clinically significant DDIs (X, D, C). The co-prescription of statins and macrolide antibiotics in the Republic of Croatia is increasing. The greatest number of co-prescriptions with macrolides were with atorvastatin and simvastatin.

Consumption of statins in Croatia in the 2002 - 2006 period--a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to quantify the trends in the consumption of statins in the Republic of Croatia on the national level in the 5-year period between 2002 and 2006. METHODS: Data on the consumption of different statins have been obtained from the database of the Croatian Institute of Health Insurance. Statistical Annals have provided data on the population in the Republic of Croatia for the period observed. Consumption of statins expressed in Defined daily doses (DDD) per 1,000 inhabitants per day (DID) was computed and statistically processed. RESULTS: Of the total number of insured persons statins were used in the treatment of 2.57% patients in 2002 and grew to 6.48% in 2006. The total consumption of statins was increased from 12.39 DID in 2002 to 44.77 DID in 2006. In the period observed, simvastatin had the greatest individual share in the consumption of statins. Thus in 2002 it accounted for 73.12% of the total consumption of statins, while in 2006 it was 48.87%. The share of other statins in the total consumption did not change substantially, except for atorvastatin, whose share increased from 15.3% in 2002 to 42.38% in 2006. Mostly women (57%) and patients above 55 years of age were treated with statins. CONCLUSIONS: In the 2002 - 2006 period the total consumption of statins increased by 261%, while the number of patients treated with statins increased by 252%. Simvastatin had the greatest share in the total consumption, while atorvastatin consumption recorded the greatest individual increase.