Pharmacoeconomical affordability of antipsychotic drugs for patients with mental disorders in the structure of dementia at the regional level

Abstract

Objective. To analyze the pharmacoeconomical affordability of antipsychotic drugs (APD) in patients with mental disorders in the structure of dementia at the level of the Gomel region of the Republic of BelarusMaterials and methods. The study used data from the State Register of Medicines of the Republic of Belarus (2022); Clinical Protocol for providing medical care to patients with mental and Behavioral Disorders (2010); website data https://myfin.by about the average pension amount and the minimum subsistence budget of the Gomel region for 2022; data from «State Register of Medicines of the Republic of Belarus» website. For the analysis, the price list for medicines (drugs) of the largest pharmacy chains in Belarus was used, which included the state pharmacies of the Gomel UP «Pharmacy» and commercial pharmacies of the well-known brands in Belarus «ADEL» and «Dobrya Leki». Parameters such as the price affordability of the APD and 4 availability coefficients (Cd) were determined, allowing to correlate the average cost of antipsychotic drugs packaging and the cost of the average daily dose of antipsychotic drugs with the consumer income, as well as the total affordability coefficient (Cd total.).Results. According to all criteria, the most economically affordable drug from the group of typical APD was the generic Haloperidol–Ozone (Ozon, Russia), and the least affordable from the group of atypical ones was the generic Olanzapine (Belmedpreparaty, Republic of Belarus).Conclusion. There is a large selection of APD on the pharmaceutical market of the Gomel region. Generic APD predominate on sale, which are more affordable compared to the original APD. But one should not forget about the advantages of the original drugs – efficiency, safety, innovativeness, reproducibility of the effect and strict quality control, confirmed in clinical trials. However, the genetic drug Olanzapine (Belmedpreparations, RB) is not in any way more superior in terms of affordability, but even inferior to some drugs. This study allowed us to establish that in the Gomel region of the Republic of Belarus, a patient with dementia is provided with a wide choice of APD and the ability to determine the criteria for preference when buying a specific drug.