title: Drug use in primary open angle glaucoma: a prospective study at a tertiary care teaching hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study drug use pattern in patients of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and to analyze the cost of different anti-glaucoma medications.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study was carried in the glaucoma clinic of a tertiary care teaching hospital over a period of 9 months. The data collected for patients with POAG included the patient's demographic details and the drugs prescribed. Data were analyzed for drug use pattern and cost drugs used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a total 180 prescriptions (297 drugs) analyzed, most drugs (83.83%) were prescribed by topical route as eye drops. β blockers (93.88%) were found to be the most frequently prescribed for POAG. Timolol (82.22%) was the most frequently prescribed drug and timolol with acetazolamide (17.22%) was the most commonly prescribed drug combination. Fixed dose combinations constituted 26.66% of prescriptions. β blockers were found to be cheaper than other anti-glaucoma drugs while prostaglandins analogs were the costliest. Instructions about the route, frequency and duration of treatment were present in all prescriptions. However, instructions regarding instillation of eye drops were missing in all prescriptions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Geetanjali Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
authors.forename: Arvind Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.forename: Varsha
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D000086:Acetazolamide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002257:Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics; D004338:Drug Combinations; D016527:Drug Costs; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011465:Prostaglandins, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D013999:Timolol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002257:Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors; D004338:Drug Combinations; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D011465:Prostaglandins, Synthetic; D013999:Timolol; D000086:Acetazolamide
keywords: cost analysis; drug use study; primary open angle glaucoma; β-blockers