Drug Utilization Study Research Articles

Review on a prospective study on drug use pattern in pediatric seizures

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the drug utilization pattern and to observe possible treatment outcomes. Methods: A Non-experimental prospective observational study has been carried out in tertiary care hospital for a period of six months. A total number of 181 paediatric inpatients of age 1- 14 years with seizures were included and evaluated. The patient case history was collected based on data collection form designed for the study. RESULTS: In our study we observed that female patients are more prevalent. Prevalence of seizures is high among age group 1-5years and low among 11-14 years. Tonic-clonic (51.3%) type of seizures was commonly observed, followed by febrile seizures (19%). Phenytoin is the mostly prescribed drug followed by sodium valproate. Monotherapy is observed mostly. Outcome of the therapy is measured by seizure free period, among which seizure free observed are more 74.1%. The incidence of ADRs in the study group is less (6.6%) and phenytoin is the drug with more number of ADRs. Medication adherence is measured in known epileptic patients (n=67) using MMAS, medium adherence seems to be more (49%). Conclusion: This study strongly highlights that the, Clinical pharmacist has a pivot role in conducting drug utilization studies that helps in comparing the ongoing regimen with the standard treatment guidelines so as to promote the stupendousity of rational use of drugs and to minimize or control the incidence of ADRs.

A cross-country utilization patterns comparison of high expenditure therapeutic groups between Portugal and six European countries: the two sides of the Portuguese coin

ABSTRACT Background Understanding variability in prescribing patterns through comparative drug utilization studies can contribute to improve an efficient, effective and safe use of medicines. Objectives To perform a cross-country comparison of consumption patterns of ambulatory high expenditure therapeutic groups between Portugal and six European countries and simulate potential cost-saving scenarios through the adoption of the different prescribing patterns of studied countries. Methods Cross-country comparison of 2019 drug consumption patterns between Portugal, Denmark, England, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. Analysis comprised antihypertensive drugs, glucose lowering drugs (GLD), insulins, lipid lowering drugs (LLD) and oral anticoagulants. Cost-saving analysis were performed using the Portugal average annual cost/daily defined dose and the potential reduction in expenditure simulating other European countries consumption pattern scenarios. Results Portugal had the lowest consumption uptake of metformin and the highest consumption of GLD (30.1%) and LLD (8.5% vs <3%) fixed-dose combinations. Annual cost-savings scenarios showed that Portugal would have saved between 53 M€ and 305 M€ if it had the same prescribing patterns than Norway or the Netherlands, respectively. Conclusions Different utilization patterns across countries were found. Although Portugal has the lowest gross domestic product per capita among the countries studied, it had the highest uptake of newly and costly drugs.

DRUG UTILIZATION STUDY IN A RADIOTHERAPY UNIT OF A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL IN RURAL WEST BENGAL, INDIA

Objective: Drug utilization studies lay special emphasis on the medical social and economic consequences of use of medications in special settings. This study was undertaken to identify the pattern of drugs prescribed frequently among patients attending the radiotherapy department. Methods: This is a prospective study undertaken between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018. Prescriptions and patient records were reviewed and analyzed using the World Health Organization (WHO) indicators for drug utilization studies. Results: We encountered a total of 618 patients during the study period. Among them, 340 (55.01%) were female. The most common age groups presenting were between 21 and 60 years. Carcinoma breast was the most common type encountered (total cases 181, 29.28%), followed by carcinoma lung (total cases 92, 14.88%), carcinoma cervix, hematological malignancies, carcinoma prostate, and carcinoma rectum. Total number of drugs prescribed was 3008 in total 618 prescriptions making it 4.86 drugs per prescription on average. Among them on average per prescription, 2.82 drugs were cytotoxic drugs (1745 total), whereas 2.04 drugs were supportive or adjunct drugs (1263 total). Among the drugs prescribed, 96.24% were in generic names, 6.95% prescriptions contained antibiotics, and 96.44% (596) prescriptions contained injections. About 85.23% of drugs were prescribed from essential drug list. Average consulting was 8.2 min and dispensing time for adjunct drugs was 4 min on average. On average, 52.42% of patients (324) had complete correct knowledge of the dosage and schedule prescribed. Adverse drug reactions were common, out of 618 patients, 542 (87.7%) experienced ADRs most common being gastrointestinal and dermatological ADRs. The most common implicated drug was cisplatin. Six serious adverse events were encountered. Conclusions: This study provides a clear picture of drug use in this special clinic in rural Bengal and paves the way for larger and long-term study.

Treatment pattern trends of medications for type 2 diabetes in British Columbia, Canada

IntroductionSeveral new oral drug classes for type 2 diabetes (T2DM) have been introduced in the last 20 years accompanied by developments in clinical evidence and guidelines. The uptake of new...

A drug utilization study of topical corticosteroids in the department of dermatology in a tertiary care teaching hospital in upper Assam

Background: Topical corticosteroids form an important group of drugs in dermatology and are among the most commonly prescribed medications. However, despite their efficacy, they are associated with various adverse effects and as majority of the skin conditions are chronic, there is a need to ensure that there is rationality in drug use. Thus, this study was conducted with an aim to analyze the drug utilization pattern of topical corticosteroids.Methods: The study was a hospital-based, prospective and observational study and conducted for a period of 12 months. The method of data collection was done based on one-on-one consultation with patients. Data collected were recorded prospectively in a specially designed proforma. Results were then entered and analyzed using Microsoft excel.Results: In the study, it was observed that 48% of the patients were males while 52% were females. Most patients belonged to the age group of 21-30 years (30%). Scabies (30%) was the most common dermatological condition. With regard to the prescribing frequency of different topical corticosteroids, mometasone furoate (31.4%) was the preferred choice in most patients. H1 antihistaminic drugs like levocetirizine (81.6%) were the most prescribed along with topical corticosteroids, followed by emollients (36.4%) and permethrin (29.2%). The average number of drugs per prescription was 3.6 and all drugs were prescribed by their generic names.Conclusions: Periodic monitoring of the drug utilization pattern in the form of prescription auditing is an effective tool to constitute guidelines for improving the utilization pattern.

Hormone replacement therapy prescribing in menopausal women in the UK: a descriptive study.

Recent studies on the prescribing of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medicines to treat symptoms of menopause are lacking. To describe the prescribing of HRT in a cohort of UK menopausal women. Population-based drug utilisation study using IQVIA Medical Research Database (IMRD-UK). Primary care data of women with recorded menopause and/or aged ≥50 years between January 2010 and November 2021 were extracted from the database. The incidence rate of women who received their first prescription for HRT was calculated annually using person-years-at-risk (PYAR) as the denominator. Incidence rates of HRT were estimated by type and route of administration. Relative changes in annual incidence rates were expressed as percentages and the average percentage change was assessed using linear regression. Annual prescribing prevalence per 100 women was calculated using mid-year menopausal population estimates. The incidence rate of prescribing of HRT increased from 5.01 in 2010 to 18.16 per 1000 PYAR in 2021, a relative increase of 13.64% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.97 to 20.30) per year. The incidence rate of fixed combinations of HRT increased from 3.33 to 12.23 per 1000 PYAR in 2010 and 2021, respectively. Transdermal formulations of HRT increased from 1.48 to 14.55 per 1000 PYAR in 2010 and 2021, respectively. The overall proportion of women in receipt of a prescription for HRT changed from 7.89% in 2010 to 6.86% in 2020. This study shows a steady increase in the number of women receiving their first prescription for HRT during the study period, which suggests regained acceptance of HRT medicines.

Drug Utilization and Evaluation of Antiepileptic Drugs in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract: Aim: Drug utilization and evaluation (DUE) study of antiepileptic drugs in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A total of 110 case records of patients were included in a prospective observational study which was conducted for duration of 6 months. The prescription pattern was analyzed based on age, gender, route of administration, indication, duration of therapy, type of seizures, generation of Anti-Epileptic Drugs (AEDs), and rationality. Results: AEDs were prescribed more for patients between the ages of 51-60 years. The majority of patients receiving AEDs were males and AEDs were mostly used in the neurology department followed by neurosurgery and general medicine. Levetiracetam was prescribed most commonly as monotherapy. Lorazepam and midazolam were the most common add-on drugs. Gabapentin was mostly prescribed for severe neuropathic pain. The oral route was the common route of administration of AEDs. AEDs were highly prescribed for prophylaxis of seizures. Second-generation AEDs were highly used compared to other drugs. Conclusion: Second-generation AEDs were used as monotherapy and were found to be effective in reducing seizures and economically affordable for patients. As monotherapy, levetiracetam was the drug of choice followed by lorazepam. Keywords: Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE), Epilepsy, Antiepileptic drugs, Levetiracetam, Phenytoin, Seizures.

A Cost-Variation Analysis of Drugs Available in the Indian Market for the Management of Diabetic Nephropathy.

Background Diabetic nephropathy is associated with polypharmacy and increased out-of-pocket expenditure for the patients. Multiple brands of each prescribed drug are available in the market. Hence, there is a need to evaluate the cost variation of the available brands of prescribed drugs. Methodology All drugs prescribed to the 282 patients with diabetic nephropathy from our previous cross-sectional observational drug utilization study were included. Data regarding the cost of various brands of the prescribed drugs were obtained from Current Index of Medical Specialities (CIMS) android application version 3.1.2 and Indian online pharmacies. The percentage price variation and cost ratio for these drugs were determined. A correlation analysis was conducted between the number of brands and percentage price variation. Results A high percentage price variation (>1,000%) and cost ratio (>10)was observed for 19 out of 39 drugs that were evaluated. The highest price variations were seen with amlodipine (16,799%), metformin (11,240%), and glimepiride (10,525%). The highest cost ratios were seen with amlodipine (168), metformin (113.40%), and glimepiride (106.25%). There was a negligible correlation between the number of brands and percentage price variation. Conclusions The above findings indicate that drug price variations need to be monitored more strictly. The present study may aid physicians in understanding the degree of price variation among medications used for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy, thereby necessitating the selection of a P-drug to increase the affordability of drugs for patients.

The road to biologics in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa: a nationwide drug utilization study.

Prolonged systemic antibiotic treatment is often a part of management of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). Although biologic therapies are now available, the patient's treatment journey leading to biologic therapy is unclear. To examine treatment patterns and duration of systemic treatment use in patients with HS preceding biologic therapy. We identified all patients with HS receiving treatment with biologics in the Danish National Patient Registry from 2010 to 2018 and extracted their entire prescription history of specific systemic treatments from the Danish National Prescription Registry since its inception in 1995. The patients' treatment journeys are graphically displayed through Sankey diagrams and box plots generated to show temporal distributions. Descriptive patient characteristics were presented as frequencies with percentages for categorical variables and as means with SDs or medians with interquartile ranges (IQRs) for continuous variables. A total of 225 patients with HS were included. Patients had most frequently been treated with penicillin (n = 214; 95·1%), dicloxacillin (n = 194; 86·2%), tetracycline (n = 145; 64·4%) and rifampicin/clindamycin (n = 111; 49·3%), as well as the retinoids isotretinoin and acitretin, and dapsone. Prior to biologic therapy, patients received a mean of 4·0 (SD 1·3) different systemic therapies, across a mean of 16·9 (SD 11·3) different treatment series. The mean time from first systemic therapy until biologic therapy was initiated was 15·3 (SD 5·1) years [8·2 (SD 5·9) years when excluding penicillin and dicloxacillin]. Patients with HS who receive biologic therapy have long preceding treatment histories with multiple drug classes and treatment series, many of which are supported by relatively weak evidence in HS. Delay in the initiation of biologic therapy may represent a missed opportunity to prevent disease progression. What is already known about this topic? The treatment journey leading to biologic therapy in patients with HS has not previously been investigated. What does this study add? Our data from 225 patients with HS illustrate that patients who receive biologic therapy have long preceding treatment histories with multiple drug classes and treatment series, many of which are supported by relatively weak evidence in HS.

A multinational, drug utilization study of lipegfilgrastim use in real-world setting in Europe.

Lipegfilgrastim (Lonquex, Teva Pharma B.V.) is approved for reduction in neutropenia duration and febrile neutropenia incidence. In the framework of lipegfilgrastim regulatory approval in the EU, the Health Authorities requested a drug utilization study. This study was conducted to characterize prescribing patterns of lipegfilgrastim and quantify the extent of on- and off-label use of lipegfilgrastim in real-world setting in Europe. Information on lipegfilgrastim use between January 2014 and March 2020 was abstracted from medical records in hospital and outpatient clinical settings. Indication for lipegfilgrastim was classified either as on-label or off-label use according to pre-determined criteria. The primary endpoint was the extent of lipegfilgrastim off-label use based on the most recent lipegfilgrastim cycle. Records of 481 patients were obtained from five European countries. Lipegfilgrastim was most commonly prescribed for prevention of neutropenia by oncologists and hematologists. Patients who were administered lipegfilgrastim were primarily ≥ 55years old (65.1%) and female (65.7%). The most frequent underlying diagnosis was breast cancer (38.3%). For the most recent lipegfilgrastim cycle, on-label use was recorded in 452/459 patients with no missing data (98.5%), while off-label use was recorded in 7/459 patients (1.5%). The majority of off-label use was attributed to use with non-cytotoxic chemotherapy (57.1%). Off-label use of lipegfilgrastim across all treatment cycles with no missing data was 11/1547 cycles (0.7%). Using real-world data, these findings confirm the low rate of lipegfilgrastim off-label use as reported in a preceding feasibility study, indicating very high adherence to the approved indication.

A cross-sectional observational drug utilisation study of antipsychotic drugs prescribed in patients suffering from psychiatric illnesses at a tertiary care hospital

Background: The rapidly expanding field of psychopharmacotherapy is challenging the traditional concepts of psychiatric treatment and research and is constantly seeking new and improved drugs to treat psychiatric disorders.Methods: The present study was undertaken to analyse the pattern of drug utilization of antipsychotic medications in outdoor patients of psychiatry department of a tertiary care hospital. 600 prescriptions of 600 patients suffering from different psychiatric illnesses were taken for analyses in which antipsychotic agents were prescribed either as a main drug or as a concomitant agent after proper taking written informed consent.Results: A total of 1681 drugs were prescribed in our study population The average number of drugs prescribed per prescription in the study population was 2.61±1.32. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression were among the most common illnesses for which antipsychotics were prescribed. Atypical antipsychotics were most commonly prescribed in the study population out of which olanzapine was prescribed in most of the patients. Considering the cost analysis of the present study, the average cost per prescription was 475.02 INR. Average cost of antipsychotics per prescription was 208.1 INR.Conclusions: The present study provides valuable insight into the overall pattern of antipsychotic drugs prescribed in patients suffering from different psychiatric illnesses and mental health disorders and the principles of rational prescribing were followed in accordance with the various drug use indicators mentioned by WHO.

Analysis of utilization pattern of antimicrobial agents in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Bacteria are being unicellular and prokaryotes came to this earth before us and others. They are able to survive anywhere in this earth including soil, water both saline and normal, in all living creatures, hills, sands, ice of north and south poles, sea and desert. Some are helpful and commensals as they not harm us but many of them produce disease in which they survive, these are harmful bacteria, so called pathogenic or disease producing bacteria. Result showed there is a need for a better AMAs using formulary or clinical guide line, though it is available in CMDT, edited in every year. Role of Drugs and Therapeutic committee should play an important role regard to this, along with Drug utilization study, prescriptions auditing to improve drugs use in general and lifesaving managements. This is again a matter of great regret that the many doctors have a mental tendency to use Newer and more expansive, low available drug(a matter of ego that—DR writing and know much that drug only available at Cuttack) as opposed to cost effective, proven and well established AMAs, in local counters.

DRUG UTILIZATION PATTERNS USING WHO CORE PRESCRIBING INDICATORS IN DIFFERENT OUT PATIENT DEPARTMENTS AT SECONDARY CARE HOSPITAL, KARIMNAGAR

Aim:The aim of this study is to assess the prescribing patterns of medicines, apply the World Health Organization (WHO) core indicators and to assess the appropriateness of prescribed medicines in a pediatric unit. Materials and Methods:A prospective observational drug utilization study of outpatients was carried out in secondary care hospital for a period of 2 months. Patients who attended different units were included in the study and patients who were not willing to participate in the study were excluded and the data collected from the hospital were analyzed. Results:Out of 150 patients, the average number of drugs per patient was 4.56. The percentage of drugs prescribed with the generic name was found to be 19.16%. Among 150 prescriptions 49.78% of the drugs were prescribed from essential drug list. Among the antibiotics 33.33% were prescribed, cephalosporin group were the most commonly prescribed followed by amino glycoside and penicillin. Nearly, 21.80% of the medicines were given as intravenous and the prescriptions without drugs were 1.43%. Only 75.6% of patients have knowledge about their dosage schedule and almost all the prescriptions were appropriate. Conclusion:The assessment of WHO core indicators helped to improvise the prescribing pattern, identify significant problems involved in the knowledge gap of patients or caretakers understanding of instructions provided by consultants and even to minimize the cost burden on patient.

Single center observational drug utilization study of oral antidiabetic agents in type 2 diabetic patients

Diabetes mellitus is a major healthcare problem in India. Oral anti diabetic agents are the most commonly prescribed drugs for type 2 diabetes. The aim of the study was to evaluate the recent pattern of drug utilization of anti-diabetic drugs in diabetic patients and observe adverse drug events (ADEs) associated with anti-diabetic therapy. Methods: A prospective study was carried out in diabetic patients visiting the Diabetic OPD and those fulfilling inclusion criteria were included in study. Demographic data, drug utilization pattern and ADEs due to Anti-diabetic drugs were summarized. Results: In the present study, 110 (58.25%) were males and 96 (46.60%) were females. Majority of patients, Metformin was the most commonly prescribed drug. 71.1 % of patients were prescribed with triple therapy. Co-morbid condition was found in 91 patients where hypertension (18.44%) being the most common co-morbid condition. 81 ADRs were observed with GIT upset being the most common ADR reported. Conclusions: The present study helps to find out recent prescribing pattern of oral diabetic medications with different co-morbidities. Therefore, understanding of the existing prescribing patterns, trends of antidiabetic drugs their beneficial effect and mechanism can help to overcome progression of disease.

Melatonin use among children, adolescents, and young adults: a Danish nationwide drug utilization study.

We aimed to provide a detailed description of the use of melatonin in Danish children, adolescents, and young adults during 2012-2019. We identified melatonin users 0-24years of age (n = 43,652; median age 16years) via the Danish nationwide health registers. Melatonin is a prescription drug in Denmark. The incidence of melatonin use increased from 2.4 to 3.9/1000 person-years during 2012 to 2019. Among 6,557 incident users in 2019, 53% filled only a single prescription within the first 6months. Long-term use was most common among the younger age groups, with 17% of 5-9-year-olds and 14% of 10-13-year-olds being in continued treatment (no treatment breaks) 12months after their first melatonin prescription. Disregarding treatment breaks, 3 in 10 were using melatonin 12months after their first melatonin prescription and this proportion was also highest among 5-9-year-olds (63%) and 10-13-year-olds (51%). Psychopathology was common among melatonin users with 75% registered with either a psychiatric disorder diagnosis (54%), a filled prescription for another psychotropic (58%), or a contact to a private practice psychiatrist (15%) within ± 12months of treatment initiation. General practitioners authorized melatonin prescriptions to almost half of all new users (48%), while psychiatric specialists authorized 37% of first prescriptions. In conclusion, the incidence of melatonin use increased in Denmark from 2012 to 2019. A substantial proportion of users had concurrent psychopathology most likely explaining their use of melatonin. Long-term melatonin use was more common among the youngest age groups, which should be a focus of interest due to limited safety data.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

Review on pediatric seizures - a prospective study on drug utilization pattern and its outcome

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to evaluate the drug utilization pattern and to observe possible treatment outcomes.&#x0D; METHODS: A Non-experimental prospective observational study has been carried out in tertiary care hospital for a period of six months. A total number of 181 pediatric inpatients of age 1- 14 years with seizures were included and evaluated. The patient’s case history was collected based on a data collection form designed for the study.&#x0D; RESULTS: In our study, we observed that female patients are more prevalent. Prevalence of seizures is high among the age group 1-5years and low among 11-14 years. Tonic-clonic (51.3%) types of seizures were commonly observed, followed by febrile seizures (19%). Phenytoin is the most prescribed drug followed by sodium valproate. Monotherapy is observed mostly. The outcome of the therapy is measured by seizure-free period, among which seizure-free observed are more than 74.1%. The incidence of ADRs in the study group is less (6.6%) and phenytoin is the drug with more number of ADRs. Medication adherence is measured in known epileptic patients (n=67) using MMAS, medium adherence seems to be more (49%).&#x0D; CONCLUSION: This study strongly highlights that the Clinical pharmacist has a pivotal role in conducting drug utilization studies that help in comparing the ongoing regimen with the standard treatment guidelines so as to promote the stupendously rational use of drugs and to minimize or control the incidence of ADRs.

Opioid use among Danish patients with severe knee osteoarthritis: a drug utilization study.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common musculoskeletal diseases. Opioids have been increasingly used in the treatment of severe knee OA-related pain, particularly in the USA. Less is known about the patterns of use of opioids among Danish patients with severe knee OA. We investigated opioid use among Danish patients with severe knee OA in the 5years preceding knee replacement surgery (KR). We identified adults who had undergone KR from January 1st, 2005, to December 31st, 2018, using the Danish National Patient Register. These patients were considered to have severe knee OA in the 5-year period leading up to KR. Individual-level data on prescribed opioids were retrieved from the Danish National Prescription Registry. We identified 77,168 severe knee OA patients (mean age 66years). The prevalence of opioid users increased from 21% 5years before KR to 40% 1year before. Total use of opioids increased each year and doubled from 3254mg oral morphine equivalents (OMEQ)/1000 individuals/day 5years before to 6396mg OMEQ/1000 individuals/day the year before KR corresponding to an increase of 3141mg OMEQ (95% confidence interval 3010 to 3273). Tramadol was the most frequently used opioid. About 10% of the population accounted for 90% of the total opioid use. Among patients with severe knee OA, the prevalence and total use of opioids doubled during the 5years before KR. In addition, 10% of the study population was responsible for 90% of the opioids used.

Use of Biological Drugs for Psoriasis: A Drug-Utilization Study Using Tuscan Administrative Databanks.

Our study aims at providing evidence on patterns of use of biologic drugs for psoriasis in Tuscany, Italy. We conducted a drug-utilization study based on administrative databanks of Tuscany (EUPAS45365) from 2011 to 2019. We selected new users of etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, ustekinumab, or secukinumab between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2016. We considered subjects with psoriasis and followed subjects until the end of the study period (three years after the first dispensation of biologic drug for psoriasis) or the patient’s death, whichever came first. We censored subjects for pregnancy or neoplasia. For each subject, we defined the state as the weekly coverage of one of the biologic drugs of interest. We then defined the switch as the change from a state to another one. A total of 7062 subjects with a first dispensation of a PSObio drug in the inclusion period was identified, and 1839 (52.9% female, 51.6 mean age) patients were included in the analysis. Among new users of adalimumab (N = 770, 41.9%), one third showed a continuous behaviour whereas the others moved to etanercept and ustekinumab. New users of etanercept (N = 758, 41.2%), had the highest proportion of switchers, with adalimumab most often being the second choice. New users of infliximab (N = 159, 8.6%) experienced the highest proportion of treatment discontinuation. The present study suggests that the majority of patients treated with PSObio drugs do not switch from one active ingredient to another. However, patients who started biological therapy with etanercept had the highest frequency of switching to other PSObio drugs, whereas those who started with secukinumab or ustekinumab had the lowest.

Analyzing Drug Utilization in Ophthalmology Outpatients in a Private and Public Health Facility as well as Cost Variation of Selected Ophthalmological Medicines

Abstract: Background: The rationale behind this study conduction was; 1. To analyze ‘drug use’ and 2. To analyze ‘cost variation’. First could facilitate improving drug utilization patterns and prescribing practice, and second, could justify and improve rational drug utilization. Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Selected ‘World Health Organization’ drug use indicators and cost variation of ophthalmological medicines were analyzed from ‘prospectively collected patient and, prescription data’ and ‘basic cost data of medicines from Current Index of Medical Specialties’, respectively. A total of the ‘449’ patients’ data were considered in the study, out of which ‘231’ and, ‘218’ were from ‘public’ and, ‘private’ health facilities respectively. Results: Out of the total sample, ‘1.36’ was the count of drugs per prescription. The ‘drug percentage’ prescribed by generic name and, from the Essential Medicines List was 31.59% and, 56.35%, respectively. 75.72% of prescriptions were prescribed antibiotics, while 82.41% of patients had correct knowledge of dosage. ‘Eye strain’, ‘conjunctivitis’ and, ‘cataract’ were the common eye problems. ‘Antibiotics’, ‘corticosteroid’ and, ‘ocular lubricants’ were commonly prescribed. From the total of ‘614’ drugs prescribed, ‘171’ was the combination formulations. The study showed high-cost variation among multiple available branded options of single ophthalmological medicine. Conclusion: A rational drug use pattern was found in both the study sites. However, there is a wide variation of the indicators values between them. It is recommended to improve and, periodically update healthcare drug policies along with frequent drug utilization and cost monitoring studies. Key words: Drug Utilization (DU), Cost Analysis, Drug Use Indicator, Ophthalmological Medicines, Ophthalmology Outpatient, Essential Medicines, World Health Orgnization (WHO).