title: [Expenses of the Brazilian Ministry of Health for high-cost drugs: a demographic and clinical analysis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the expenses of the Ministry of Health of Brazil with users of High-Cost Drug Program that began treatment between 2000-2004, according to their demographic and clinical characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  We made a probabilistic-deterministic linkage of national databases of drugs and mortality, resulting in a historical cohort of patients using high-cost medications in 2000-2004. The per capita spending on medicines were stratified by a follow-up period and described according to demographic, clinical and type of drug used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total population atended by the program was 611,419, being 63.5% female, average age 46 years. 41.9% of patients living in the Southeast and 29.7% in the Northeast of Brazil. 24.5% of patients began treatment in 2000, 12.4% in 2001, with increasing trend until 2004. The most prevalent diagnosis referred to the genitourinary system diseases and the most common use of chemical groups were antianemic preparations. 40,941 deaths were detected (6.7% of total). The total expenditure per capita was R$4.794,34. Higher spending per capita was observed in males, aged 47, who lived in the Southeast of Brazil and began treatment in 2000, had diagnoses of infectious and parasitic diseases and used blood substitutes and perfusions solutions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The understanding of the expenses involved subsidizes restructuring actions and scheduling drug programs, also provides information for therapeutic groups which are priorities for analysis.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde Pública da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. crisruasbrandao@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Cristina Mariano Ruas
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Brandão
authors.forename: Augusto Afonso
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.forename: Mariângela Leal
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cherchiglia
authors.forename: Eli Iola Gurgel
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Alessandra Maciel
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Grazielle Dias
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Odilon Vanni
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: de Queiroz
authors.forename: Daniel Resende
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Faleiros
authors.forename: Francisco de Assis
authors.initials: Fde A
authors.lastname: Acurcio
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D005380:Financing, Government; D033161:Government Regulation; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000191:economics; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006291:Health Policy; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018803:Models, Economic; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016730:Program Development; D013997:Time Factors