Abstract

THE OVER-THE-COUNTER PHARMACEUTICAL MARKET. A PHARMACOECONOMIC ANALYSIS

Tsvetkova*, A. Todorova, M. Arnaoudova, M. Dimitrov, E. Atanasova

ABSTRACT

The resource analysis in health care is of particular importance since resources are of fundamental importance to both market and non-market economic activities. The economic analysis in health care is an accurate reflection of the system, that is, it is an economic analysis of the supply, encompassing the provision, allocation and usage of resources. The pharmacoeconomic analysis is the application of the methods of economic analysis for the assessment of alternative drug therapies and their social cost and consequences with respect to the highly fragmented and specific pharmaceutical market. For thepurposes of this article, we consider suitable the application of the cost-minimization analysis of two OTC antihistamine drugs for allergic rhinitis and their corresponding generic substitutes. Allergic rhinitis is a global health problem and a serious socioeconomic burden, and it is a risk factor for the development of asthma. According to a Eurostat survey, untreated allergies result in 10% reduced performance at work; 60 days with symptoms generate an annual loss of 34 work hours per worker, which is estimated approximately at 1000 € productivity loss.

Keywords: allergic rhinitis, cost-minimization, generic OTC antihistamines, pharmaceutical policy.