Vol. 5, Issue 2, Part B (2023)

In order to assess the cost disparities and percentage variations in the pricing of various brands of commonly prescribed drugs for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder within the Indian pharmaceutical market, the following methods were employed:
The highest and lowest prices for each brand of the drug, denominated in INR, were recorded using data from CIMS January to April 2023 edition and Drug Today Vol-1. The cost ratio and percentage cost variation were then computed for each individual drug brand. The calculation included determining the cost for one bottle in the case of 100ml syrup and 10 tablets/capsules for oral drugs, and recording the cost for one vial or ampoule in the case of injectable drugs. Subsequently, a comparison was made between the cost ratios and percentage cost variations of the different drug brands.
The findings revealed that among the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder drugs studied: Paroxetine (2mg) capsules displayed the highest cost ratio at 7.49 and the highest percentage cost variation at 649.Citalopram (20mg SR tablets) exhibited the lowest cost ratio at 2.25 and the lowest percentage cost variation at 125.In conclusion, it is worth noting that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a prevalent condition often requiring extended treatment with medication. Therefore, prescribing expensive brands places an unnecessary financial burden on patients. Additionally, significant variations in the cost of different brands of post-traumatic stress disorder drugs exist in the Indian market. Clinicians prescribing these medications should be mindful of these cost discrepancies in order to optimize the cost-effectiveness of drug therapy.