Cost Comparisons of Some Leading Brands of the Antidiabetic Drug, Nateglinide , Available in an Indian City.

Background: Antidiabetic drugs have to be taken for life , in majority of the patients. Price differences can lead to huge economic burden on the patients of diabetes, especially when cost considerations are not undertaken by the healthcare provider . This study was aimed to compare the annual cost a patient has to bear , of five different most commonly prescribed brands of nateglinide 60mg and four different brands of Nateglinide 120mg, in Kolhapur city. Methods: Authors purchased a strip of 10 tablets each of four leading brands of Nateglinide 120 miligrams in one city, Kolhapur,India and compared the annual cost of these four brands amonst each other . Then a strip of 10 tablets each of five leading brands of Nateglinide 60 milligrams were bought and the annual cost of these brands were compared between these five brands. These costs were compared directly as well as using percentages. The data was collected, analysed and presented. Results: The data of prices of preparations of five different bnds of a single antidiabetic drug, Nateglinide 60mg and four different brands of Nateglinide 120mg shows that the annual cost of the costliest brand among all the brands of Nateglinide 60mg is almost two times that of the cheapest brand, or it is almost 200 percent that of the cheapest brand and for Nateglinide 120mg the annual cost of costliest brand is also two times that of the cheapest brand or it is almost 200 percent that of the cheapest brand. Conclusions: There was considerable difference in the annual cost among the different brands of the drug. India being a country with majority of the population being highly price sensitive, the prescribing physician must be very careful in selecting the brands of drugs . The costliest preparation of Nateglinide can add to a significant amount on the patient’s annual budget. Thus, in a country like India, Pharmacoeconomics must have an important place while prescribing medicines.