Background: Drug utilization research or studies are the powerful exploratory tools to ascertain the role of drugs in the society which refers to the marketing, distribution, prescription and use of drugs with special emphasis on the medical, social and economic consequences. Periodic prescription audit in form of drug utilization study is a way to improve the quality of prescription and promote rational prescribing.Methods: This was a prospective and an observational study. Prescriptions included all newly diagnosed patients with cutaneous fungal infection of both sexes who attended dermatology OPD. Factors considered were sociodemographic parameters and WHO prescribing indicators.Results: 1000 prescriptions were analysed of patients between 18 to 65 years of age with cutaneous fungal infections. The average number of drugs per encounter was 3.68. The percentage of drugs prescribed by generic name was 50.33% and the percentage of drugs prescribed from NLEM was 20.93%.Conclusions: This study indicates that prescribing practices of drugs in tertiary care hospital can be improved by promoting generic name drug prescribing, prescribing drugs from NLEM and by reducing polypharmacy.

Background: Fungal infections of the skin were the 4th most common skin disease in 2010 affecting 984 million people. An estimated 20-25% of the world’s population has some form of fungal infection. Dermatophytes are fungi that cause superficial infections of the skin, commonly referred to as tinea infections.Methods: This was a prospective and an observational study conducted from February 2018 to January 2019 in Dermatology Department. Prescriptions included all newly diagnosed patients with cutaneous fungal infection of both sex who attended dermatology OPD. Factors considered were sociodemographic parameters, the disease encountered and number of patients in each group and number of patients who received antifungal therapy (oral and topical) etc.Results: 1000 prescriptions were analysed of patients between 18 to 65 years of age with cutaneous fungal infections. There were a greater number of males (57.4%) than females (42.6%). The average number of antifungal drugs prescribed per prescription was 2.33. Majority of the patients were prescribed itraconazole (82.30%) followed by terbinafine (9.70%) and fluconazole (8.0%).Conclusions: The most common oral antifungal drug used was itraconazole. Ketoconazole and Terbinafine were the most commonly used topical agents respectively.

Background: Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a chronic, seasonally exacerbated, allergic ocular inflammation. It affect children and young adults and has male predominance. The first line of treatment often used is dual acting drugs like olopatadine and bepotastine. It combine the immediate histamine receptor antagonism, coupled with mast cell stabilization with other anti-inflammatory properties. The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of olopatadine 0.1% and bepotastine 1.5% eye drops in VKC patients.Methods: This was a prospective, open label, randomized and comparative clinical study conducted for 21 days. 65 patients of VKC of 5-15 years of either sex were randomized in two study arm. Arm A, given bepotastine 1.5% and arm B, given olopatadine 0.1% twice daily for 21 days. Symptoms and signs scoring of VKC along with safety assessment were recorded on baseline and at time of follow up on 7th day and 21st day.Results: After 3 weeks of drug therapy, patients in both arms showed improvement in the symptoms and signs scoring of VKC. There was no statistically significant difference between the two treatment arms. However, improvement in clinical parameters particularly ocular itching, which is the main complaint of patients with VKC was more in bepotastine arm as compared to olopatadine treated arm. Both the drugs were well tolerated without any serious adverse effect.Conclusions: Both olopatadine and bepotastine were found to be effective in alleviating the clinical symptoms and signs of VKC. However, bepotastine performed better in reducing ocular itch than olopatadine.