The economics of asthma treatment in Barbados: a review of the drug cost

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine the annual cost of treating asthma in Barbados over a ten-year period. METHODS: The Barbados Drug Service is the central procurement agent for drugs on the Barbados National Formulary. Information on the costs of the various asthma medications, and the number of prescriptions written for these drugs, were obtained from the Barbados Drug Service records. The prescriptions written for asthma medications between 1986 and 1997 were analysed and the annual cost of the various categories of asthma calculated. RESULTS: The annual drug cost of treating asthma in Barbados increased from $293,111 in 1987 to $1,268,348 in 1996, a four-fold increase over ten years. There was a rapid rise in the cost of anti-inflammatory drugs during the study period, from $48,628 or 16.5 percent of total drug cost in 1986 to $503,092 or 39.6 percent of total drug cost in 1997. The cost of inhaled beta-2-agonists over the same period increased from $131,154 or 44.7 percent of the total drug cost in 1997. However, the cost of oral beta-2-agonists decreased over the ten-year period, reflecting the increased use of the inhaled form of the medication. With the increasing number of acute asthmatics seen in the Accident and Emergency Department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the cost of nebulization solutions increased eight-fold, from $8,361 in 1986 to $69,172 in 1997. CONCLUSIONS: Asthma has been an increasing burden on the medical resources of Barbados over the past decade. The drug costs of treating asthma have increased significantly over the 10-year period 1986 to 1997 and accounted for 5.8 percent of the annual budget of the Barbados Drug Service in 1997.(Au)