title: Cephalosporin and aminoglycoside utilization in different parts of the world.
abstract: Cephalosporin and aminoglycoside utilization in Hong Kong during 1984, 1985 and 1986, were evaluated from wholesale data and compared with corresponding Swedish statistics and with UK data from a survey of non-hospital prescriptions. Details regarding each drug and category were collated, adjusted for population and if appropriate expressed as defined daily doses (DDDs)/1000 inhabitants/day. With respect to cephalosporins: (a) overall sales (especially those of the newer and more expensive parenteral drugs) were increasing; (b) parenteral sales were much larger in Hong Kong hospitals than in the community (up to about 106 versus 16 kg/million inhabitants/year respectively), but in Sweden they were comparable (up to about 38 and 41 kg/million inhabitants/year respectively); (c) non-hospital oral utilization appeared greater in the UK than in Sweden and Hong Kong (up to about 0.7, 0.4 and 0.4 DDDs/1000 inhabitants/day respectively); (d) oral sales to hospitals were greater in Hong Kong than Sweden (up to 0.3 compared to 0.1 DDDs/1000 inhabitants/day respectively) and (e) oral paediatric formulations (liquids) were most popular in Hong Kong, a higher proportion of children in Hong Kong being one possible reason. Non-hospital sales of gentamicin and kanamycin in Hong Kong were much greater than in Sweden (up to about 0.20 and 0.06 vs. 0.01 and 0.00 DDDs/1000 inhabitants/day respectively), whereas UK utilization appeared almost non-existent. Topical neomycin sales in Hong Kong were much more popular than in Sweden (up to about 60 vs. 9 g/million inhabitants/day). These regional differences in antibiotic utilization may be related to respective health care systems (and thus the affordability and availability of drugs) and prescribing preferences (cultural and/or promoted by drug companies), quite apart from possible differences in drug efficacy, drug tolerance and the prevalence and severity of various infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Kumana
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kou
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004363:Drug Utilization; D006723:Hong Kong; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D013548:Sweden
chemical_list: D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002511:Cephalosporins