Study of the Use of Antinematode Drugs, Mebendazole and Pyrantel, in Galicia (Spain) from 2016 to 2020

Abstract

To the best of our knowledge, there is no study on the use of drugs focused on the consumption of antinematode drugs in any region of the world. In the present study, we analyzed and evaluated the use of mebendazole and pyrantel in the provinces of Galicia (Spain), as well as described the variability of the consumption of both drugs between these provinces from 2016 to 2020. A descriptive, cross-sectional, and retrospective study of the consumption of these drugs, expressed in defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitants per day (DHD), was carried out. The DHD values for both drugs were small, although clearly higher, both on average and in variability, in the case of mebendazole. The difference in the mean DHD between both drugs and the geographical differences observed was statistically significant. The seasonal differences were statistically significant for both active principles, with lower values in summer. The active principle most consumed in all the provinces and years was mebendazole. The main consequence of the excessive use of this drug compared to pyrantel may be the increased risk of the development of resistance and of therapeutic failure, as well as the consequent limitation of pharmacological options in the future.

Study of the Use of Permethrin 5% Cream in Galicia (Spain) between 2018 and 2021

“…However, it is estimated that this percentage should be low due to the obligation to present a medical prescription for dispensing in pharmacies. On the other hand, the prescription of this drug through private entities is marginal (Pharmacy Carmen Goicoa Gago, personal communication), so it can be estimated that the presented data provide a close approximation to reality [ 16 ].…”

“…The methodology used was similar to that described in our previous study [ 16 ]. The measure of consumption was the defined daily dose (DDD) expressed as the number of DDDs per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID): where t corresponds to the number of days in the month and population is the number of inhabitants in each province associated with the year the drug was dispensed.…”

“…In the present work, we approached the study of this disease in Galicia by analyzing the consumption of permethrin 5% cream using the methodology of drug utilization studies. This type of study can provide direct knowledge of how a drug is used in real practice and, through the use of certain quantitative parameters, can give an approximate idea of the volume of the population treated daily with the usual dose of a given drug, as well as allowing comparisons of consumption between different geographical areas or within the same area across different periods of time, regardless of any differences or changes in price or presentations [ 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

An Analysis of the Use of Systemic Antifungals (Fluconazole, Itraconazole, and Terbinafine) in Galicia, Spain, between 2019 and 2022

“…Secondly, we detected any deviation in consumption at a seasonal level and analyzed possible changes during the study period. This study was conducted using the anatomic therapeutic chemical (ATC) and defined daily dose (DDD) methodologies, which are internationally accepted for measuring drug use within and between populations [28,29].…”