Abstract:
The top 200 drug products most frequently dispensed in the university hospitals in Bangkok during 1980 to 1982 were identified and ranked. Paracetamol was ranked number one with the highest number of tablets dispensed while Ampicillin was ranked number one with the highest value dispensed. The top 200 drug products accounted for approximately 82 percent of the total value of drug dispensed in a year. At the same time, the drugs were classified according to their pharmacological action. Penicillins was the sub-pharmacological class with the highest value dispensed which accounted for approximately 10-12 percent of the total value of drug dispensed in a year while drug acting on the Neuro-Muscular system which accounted for approximately 25 percent of the total value of drug dispensed in a year was idenified as the pharmacological class with the highest value dispensed. Lastly, the top 200 drug products were compared with the 1981 National List of Essential Drugs. Of the top 200 drug products approximately 52 percents of them contains the generic names which are in the essential drug list. Half of the drug products which are not in the essential drug list are combination drugs.
