A Study on the Drug Utilization Pattern of Oral and Inhaled Corticosteroids among the COPD Patients

Aim: To evaluate the drug utilization pattern of the oral & inhaled corticosteroids among the COPD patients. Materials & Methods: This was a prospective study. Patients of both genders who were diagnosed with COPD were included in the study. Patients with other respiratory disorders were excluded from the study. The severity of the dyspnoea was assessed by using MRC (Medical Research Council) dyspnoea scale. Results: Among the 200 study participants, 198 (99%) were males and 2 (1%) were females. About 52 (26%) study participants were observed with Grade 1 severity, 113 (56.5%) study participants with Grade 2 severity, 32 (16%) study participants were observed with Grade 3 severity and 3 (1.5%) study participants were observed with the Grade 4 severity of dyspnoea. Among the oral corticosteroids, Methyl Prednisolone was the most commonly prescribed drug followed by Deflazocort. Among the inhaled corticosteroids, Levosalbutamol + Beclomethasone combination was commonly prescribed followed by the combination Formetrol + Budesonide. Conclusion: In this study, most of the patients with COPD were observed with Grade 2 severity of dyspnoea followed by Grade 1 and Grade 3. Clinical pharmacist should involve along with the pulmonologist in the department of pulmonology in order to identify the trends of prescribing patterns and thereby providing better pharmaceutical care for the COPD patients.