Background: The objective was to study the annual cost of each of the four important brands of insulin glargine available in India and to study the comparative annual cost of all the four brands.Methods: Four most commonly prescribed brands of insulin glargine vials were selected for cost comparisons. The daily as well as annual cost of prescription of insulin glargine vials based on once daily use was worked out directly as well as in percentages and presented in the form of table and bar diagrams.Results: After careful analysis of the data it was found that the costliest brand, brand D is more than two times costlier than the cheapest brand, brand B and thus the brand preparation selection, can lead to huge difference in annual cost burden to the patient.Conclusions: This significant cost difference between costliest and cheapest brands of insulin glargine vials assumes even further importance since majority of the diabetics need to bear the cost of multiple drugs prescribed to them, on their own. Thus it rather becomes a duty of the prescribing health care provider to prescribe those medicines which are cost effective to his/her patients.

Background: Antidiabetic drugs have to be taken for life , in majority of the patients. Price differences can lead to huge economic burden on the patients of diabetes, especially when cost considerations are not undertaken by the healthcare provider . This study was aimed to compare the annual cost a patient has to bear , of five different most commonly prescribed brands of nateglinide 60mg and four different brands of Nateglinide 120mg, in Kolhapur city. Methods: Authors purchased a strip of 10 tablets each of four leading brands of Nateglinide 120 miligrams in one city, Kolhapur,India and compared the annual cost of these four brands amonst each other . Then a strip of 10 tablets each of five leading brands of Nateglinide 60 milligrams were bought and the annual cost of these brands were compared between these five brands. These costs were compared directly as well as using percentages. The data was collected, analysed and presented. Results: The data of prices of preparations of five different bnds of a single antidiabetic drug, Nateglinide 60mg and four different brands of Nateglinide 120mg shows that the annual cost of the costliest brand among all the brands of Nateglinide 60mg is almost two times that of the cheapest brand, or it is almost 200 percent that of the cheapest brand and for Nateglinide 120mg the annual cost of costliest brand is also two times that of the cheapest brand or it is almost 200 percent that of the cheapest brand. Conclusions: There was considerable difference in the annual cost among the different brands of the drug. India being a country with majority of the population being highly price sensitive, the prescribing physician must be very careful in selecting the brands of drugs . The costliest preparation of Nateglinide can add to a significant amount on the patient’s annual budget. Thus, in a country like India, Pharmacoeconomics must have an important place while prescribing medicines.