Assessment of the price-efficacy relationship for multiple brands of ceftriaxone sodium in Kabul: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Most medicines are imported for health service practices in Afghanistan. A major concern for patients and practitioners in Kabul is the wide brand assortment and price range choices for the same drug. Ceftriaxone sodium is a broadly used antibiotic for infections caused by certain types of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. It is available in Kabul in a range of brands and prices. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between cost/brand name and efficacy of this antibiotic. METHODS: 40 brands of ceftriaxone, obtained from Kabul’s main pharmacy, were derived from 12 countries including Pakistan, Turkey, India, and China. Ten samples/brand were tested for efficacy by the minimal bactericidal concentration assay against a sensitive strain of Staphylococcus aureus according to the Clinical Institute and Laboratory Standards Protocols. Efficacy data were obtained by inoculating suspensions of S. aureus grown in Mueller–Hinton medium with various concentrations (6.25–800 mcg/ml) of each brand followed by incubation at 37 °C for 18–24 h. Aliquots of inoculated cultures were transferred to agar plates, incubated at 37 °C for 18–24 h and visible colonies counted. Results were analyzed using ANOVA, Student’s t test, and Pearson correlation by SPSS 19. A p value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Ceftriaxone sodium price varied from 20–270 Afghanis/brand (average price = 69.80 Afghanis/brand). Of the 40 brands tested, 10 (25 %) were not registered with the General Directorate of Pharmaceutical Affairs of the Ministry of Public Health in Afghanistan. More importantly, we observed no statistically significant difference in efficacy against S. aureus among these brands (p = 0.59). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed no significant correlation among price, brand, and efficacy of ceftriaxone sodium against S. aureus, an important consideration when treating S. aureus infection in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Differences in brand prices are likely due to other factors including manufacturing and exportation costs, regulations of good manufacturing practice and seller’s profit ceiling and patient preferences. Based on our results, we suggest that further chemical and clinical studies of ceftriaxone sodium brands are warranted and recommend that physicians consider alternative cost-effective generic brands in patient prescriptions.