Browsing by Author "Abdul A"

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    Drug Utilization and Cost Minimization Analysis of Antimalarial Therapies in a Tertiary Healthcare Institution in North-Central Nigeria
    (2025) Giwa HB; Oluwakayode AM; Jamiu OM; Aiyelero OM; Abdul A; Giwa A; Eniayewu OI; Giwa FAS
    Background: Malaria remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria, particularly among children under five and pregnant women. The associated economic burden underscores the need for a cost minimization analysis (CMA). Objective: To conduct a CMA of identified treatment options used in the management of malaria among patients at the family medicine clinic of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital North-central Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 290 participants was conducted. Data were collected using questionnaires and structured data collection forms and descriptive and inferential analysis was carried out. Ethical approval was obtained prior to commencement of the study. Results: About 177 (61.04%) of the participants were female and most represented age group was 35-44 years (20.69%). Four main drug combinations were identified: Artemether + Lumefantrine, Dihydroartemisinin + Piperaquine, Artemisinin + Piperaquine and Artesunate +Amodiaquine. CMA revealed one branded product (Coartem) and three generic equivalents (Amatem Softgel, Lokmal, and Lonart DS). Lokmal, the most prescribed (45.51%) was also the cheapest at N266.67 (0.17 USD). Despite being the most expensive at N1000 (0.66 USD), Coartem, was the second most prescribed at 22.85%. In the Dihydroartemisinin + Piperaquine category, the branded drug P-Alaxin (N500.00; 0.31 USD) was prescribed at the same frequency (33.33%) as its generic counterparts Malact (N216.67; 0.14 USD) and Arthelad (N273.30; 0.17 USD), despite being twice as costly. Conclusion: Cost considerations may not significantly influence prescribing behaviour, underscoring the need for enhanced prescriber awareness and policy interventions to encourage the use of cost-effective, therapeutically equivalent generics.