The Relevance of Defined Daily Dose concept in Drug Utilisation Research: A Review
Agnus Baiju, Rosmin Jacob, K Krishnakumar · Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics · 2021
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), drug utilisation is defined as the marketing, distribution, prescription and the use of drugs in society with special focus on resulting medical, social and economic consequences and it has turned into a powerful scientific tool for ensuring the rational and cost-effective use of drugs. A standard method is required to identify and aggregate drug data. This manuscript provides an overview of the WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and the associated measure, Defined Daily Dose (DDD), as a methodology for evaluating drug utilisation. Keywords: Drug utilisation research, Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system, Defined Daily Dose, Rational drug use.