Analysis of Prescribing Pattern, Efficacy and Adverse Drug Reactions of Anti-diabetic Agents in Type-2 Diabetic Patients at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Prescription pattern analysis provides guidance to utilize available drugs rationally. Diabetes is a chronic, hyperglycaemic metabolic disorder with subsequent complications. The aim of present study is to analyse prescribing pattern, efficacy and Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) of Anti-diabetic Drugs (ADDs) in our tertiary care teaching institute. A prospective analytical study was conducted and demographical details, investigations (fasting, postprandial blood glucose and HbA1C at every 3 months, LFT, Lipid profile and KFT) and prescriptions were collected from 135 uncomplicated Type-2 diabetic patients visiting Medicine OPD over a period of 18 months. Prescriptions were collected and ADDs, fixed dose combinations (FDCs), other medicines used and ADRs were also recorded. Data collected was analysed using t-test and chi-square test. 94 (69.63%) patients were of 41-60 years age group with mean BMI of 26.63 ± 3.26. Fasting, postprandial blood glucose and HbA1c initially and at 18 months were 193 ± 65, 284 ± 78, 9.2 ± 2.3 and 107 ± 15, 163 ± 23, 6.5 ± 0.6 respectively with a significant reduction in mean fasting, postprandial blood glucose and HBA1c at 18 months (P<0.0001). Total drugs prescribed were 331, ADDs 222 (67.07%), FDCs 61 (18.43%), generic drugs 270 (81.57%), drugs from National list of Essential Medicines 259 (78.25%), injectables 2 (1.48%), other group of drugs 48 (14.50%) and ADRs 21 (15.56%). Average drugs per prescription were 2.45 and ADDs 1.64. The present study showed that the prescriptions were rational, drugs used were efficacious and ADRs mild and transient.