Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a long-term condition that poses enormous health and economic burden on society. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of such evidence in India. Hence, we sought to estimate the direct cost of antidiabetic medication in the geriatric population.
Aim and Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the pharmacoeconomic of antidiabetic medication in geriatric type 2 diabetes mellitus patients attending outpatient department in a tertiary care teaching hospital
Materials and Methods: The demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, and treatment profiles of patients were compiled. All diabetic patients who visited an outpatient department had their prescriptions recorded. A pharmacoeconomic analysis of prescribed anti-diabetic medications was conducted.
Results: The study enrolled 600 DM patients, of which 67.83% were males, 32.17 % were females, and the predominant age group was 60-64 years. In 94.54% of patients, the most frequently prescribed antidiabetic drug was metformin 500 mg. In 39.31% of patients, the most frequently prescribed antidiabetic combination was glimepiride 2 mg + metformin 500 mg. Insulin was prescribed in 14.83% of the cases. The percentage cost difference for diabetes medications ranges from 43.010 to 644.444. The monthly cost of monotherapy for most patients with controlled diabetes (31.46%) and uncontrolled diabetes (42.12%) was between 500 and 1000 INR. In addition, the cost of combination therapy ranges between INR 118.91 and INR 300.27.
Conclusion: The costs associated with diabetes are immense and impose a substantial burden on society. Consequently, policymakers should prioritise preventing the disease and its associated problems.
Key words: Pharmacoeconomic, Drug Utilization, Antidiabetic Drug, Diabetes Mellitus, Glimepiride, Metformin.
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