[Cost reduction with project based prescription of generic ACE inhibitors].
BACKGROUND
Increasing drug costs are an economic burden for the health insurance system.


OBJECTIVE
The regional drug prescription pattern for ACE inhibitors in the Austrian county Burgenland was compared for patients discharged from hospital and those in primary care. Furthermore, the potential cost reduction by voluntary prescription of cheaper generic drugs was estimated in the project "Bessere Therapie zum besseren Preis".


METHODS
Following consensual analysis of the regional cross-sectional study, a cheaper generic of the most cost-intensive class of ACE-inhibitor drugs should be prescribed at internal medicine wards and in primary care. The number of prescriptions for patients from the largest health insurance company BGKK was studied and the costs were calculated.


RESULTS
Of the 1347 patients discharged during October 1999 from internal medicine departments of four different hospitals 879 patients received a total of 1440 cardiovascular drugs. The regional prescription pattern at hospitals matched that of physicians in primary care. Between the second quarter of 2000 and 2001, the prescription of ACE inhibitor drugs increased by project advertising from 23,627 packages by 13.1%, and drug costs in this group were reduced by [symbol: see text] 29,778 in this quarter (7.3% of costs). The number of Enalapril prescriptions increased by 33.4% with a percentual portion of generic Enalapril of 57.3%, and in the rest of Austria by 16.9% with 45.0% generics.


CONCLUSIONS
Consensus based projects are appropriate pharmacoeconomic interventions to change prescription patterns, increase the use of drugs and reduce the increasing cost requirements.
Wolzt
Michael
M
Universitätsklinik für Klinische Pharmakologie, Allgemeines Krankenhaus Wien.
Ohrenberger
Gerald
G
Reichardt
Berthold
B
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001317:Austria; D017046:Cost Savings / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000191:economics*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004656:Enalapril / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics*; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000191:economics; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D016568:Drugs, Generic; D004656:Enalapril