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Analysis of price variation among parenteral antibiotics available in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Aims: Analysis of price variation among parenteral antibiotics available in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Settings and Design: Hospital pharmacy department. Subjects and Methods: Price, strength and brands of parenteral antibiotics included in the study were obtained from a computer database of hospital pharmacy department. The difference between the maximum and minimum prices of various brands manufactured by different companies with the same drug was analysed, and percentage variation and the cost ratio in the prices was estimated. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage. Results: Overall, prices of 15 single drug antibiotics available in 24 strengths marketed in 68 brands and 7 fixed-dose combinations available in 15 strength marketed in 49 brands were analysed. The maximum price variation and highest cost ratio between brands of single drug parenteral antibiotics were found to be more in amoxicillin 250 mg (270.43%) with cost ratio (1:3.7) and minimum in ceftazidime 2000 mg (5.26%) with cost ratio (1:1.05). In the case of fixed-dose combinations of parenteral antibiotics, the highest cost ratio (1:4.20) and percentage price variation (320.84) was found to be with cefoperazone 500 mg + sulbactam 500 mg combination, and the lowest cost ratio (1:1.11) and the percentage price variation (11.44) were found to be amoxicillin 600 mg + clavulanate 600 mg combination. The percentage price variability of 12 brands was 0%–25%, and for 26 brands, it was 50%–75%. For 13 brands, percentage price variability was >100%. Conclusions: Pharmacoeconomics aspects should be taken into consideration by healthcare practitioners while prescribing antibiotics to the patients for infectious disease management which will facilitate compliance, minimise antibiotic resistance and treatment failure.