A Prospective Study of Prescribing Pattern of Drugs in Female Infertility Cases with Pharmacoeconomics at a Tertiary Care Center in India

The global health community has had great success in improving maternal and child health in the past decade, partly through a focus on reproductive health. Infertility is a critical component of reproductive health which is a global public health challenge. The objectives of the study is to evaluate the prescribing pattern and criteria for selection of drugs for infertility at Basaveshwar Hospital, Gulbarga, India. To analyze the rationality among the prescriptions analysis of pharmacoeconomics.After approval by the Institutional Ethics Committee, 100 consenting female patients aged 18-44 years having diagnosed of infertility, were included in this prospective, observational study. In our study, 49% of the patients belonged to age group 26-30.Twenty six percent were newly diagnosed patients. Eighty seven percenthad primary infertility. Polycystic ovaries were the most common cause of infertility (29%). The patients were treated with drugs alone, or with drugs and Intra Uterine Insemination, or with drugs and in vitro Fertilization depending on their age and cause of infertility. Clomiphene citrate (58%) was the most common drug prescribed for ovulation induction. Twenty two percent of the patients conceived in our study and the average cost of drugs per prescription was 89.55 USD. Women with reproductive dysfunction who fail to achieve pregnancy need assisted reproductive technology. Providing an affordable reproductive therapy is a necessity in the developing world. Modifications of the traditional protocols and monitoring systems will help in reducing costs.