Consumption of Anti-Epileptic Drugs in Primary Health Care in Albania, 2004-2016

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is a serious neurological condition requiring sometimes lifelong pharmacological treatment, and continuous specialist monitoring. AIM: To investigate the use of Anti-Epileptic Drugs (AEDs) in epilepsy, with focus on the exposure of AEDs, differences and changes in prescription patterns over time; to evaluate the relation between the consumption data of AED and the level of epileptic morbidity for the period 2004-2016. STUDY DESIGN: Official data regarding the consumption of AEDs within Albania were collected retrospectively. Every year of the period, 2004-2016 has been considered separately. METHODS: The data were assembled from Health Insurance Institute (HII) in Tirana, Albania and analysed for the period 2004-2016. The consumption of drugs was expressed as several Defined Daily Dose (DDDs)/1000 inhabitants/day. Also, for all the period under study 2004-2016, we analysed the data of import and domestic production of drugs, which represent the real consumption of drugs in the country. These data were subsequently involved in a comparative analysis with the utilisation data according to the HII, as well as through performing international comparisons of the consumption of AEDs drugs. RESULTS: Epilepsy morbidity data indicate that there exists a correlation statistically significant between this disease and the trend of consumption of AEDs. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that the level of consumption for AEDs in Albania is very low when compared globally; with a decrease in the consumption of classic antiepileptic drugs and a parallel increase in the consumption of new generation drugs.