Assessment of Multivitamin Utilization Pattern and Pharmacoeconomics in a Tertiary Care Hospital

BACKGROUND Healthy eating remains the best source of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. A multivitamin is not a substitute for a healthy food or a healthy lifestyle, but it can provide a nutritional backup for a less than ideal diet. Although some evidence questions the benefit of a daily multivitamin and its ability to stave off disease, many people add them to their diet to maintain or boost health. OBJECTIVES To study the prescribing patterns of different multivitamin supplements. To evaluate the most commonly prescribed brands of multivitamins. To assess pharmacoeconomic burden to the patient. To assess the rational use of multivitamin supplements METHODOLOGY A Prospective study, conducted in NARAYANA MALLREDDY HOSPITALS, SURARAM in which about 350 patients were reviewed among whom 150 patients were considered who meet the inclusion criteria. Utilization patterns of multivitamins based on age, gender, social history, department, ward, composition and formulation of the drug were assessed. By using cost effective analysis, pharmacoeconomic burden of multivitamin utilisation was analysed using MS EXCEL by several statistical and mathematical analysis. CONCLUSIONS In our study, use of multivitamin is high in patients having social history of alcoholism. Oral route of administration of MVT is more preferred and used in this study. The most commonly used brand and category of MVT is OPTINEURON (76 %). The avg. mean economic burden of 176.34 INR in female and 174.4 INR in male can be ruled out with the use of generic drugs which are equally effective to the brand drugs. The irrationally used MVT supplements in the age 20-39 years costs at an avg. of 291.14 INR and in the age group of 40-50 is about 185.12 INR. It is advisable to use generic MVTs rather than branded MVTs to curb the economic burden and irrational prescription of MVTs should be minimised.