POLYPHARMACY IN MANAGMENT OF IN-PATIENTS WITH NOVEL CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19)

Abstract

The aim. To identify polypharmacy cases and develop the ways to optimize pharmacotherapy of patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in infectious disease facilities.Materials and methods. ATC/DDD analysis with calculation of DDDs/100 bed days and a sample analysis of 500 patients’ prescriptions were performed for presenting drug utilization statistics in the infectious disease facilities of Volgograd region, which had been reassigned to treat patients with COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021.Results. Five or more drugs were administered simultaneously in 96.8% of patients. Antibacterial drugs were in 74.3% of the analyzed prescriptions in 2020 and in 73.5% in 2021. The total consumption of antibiotics was 102.9 DDDs/100 bed-days in 2020 and 95.7 DDDs/100 bed-days in 2021. The cases of multiple administrations of biological disease modifying antirheumatic drugs and the use of cyclophosphamide have been identified. In 73.6% of prescriptions in 2020 and 85.4% of 2021, omeprazole at the dose of 40 mg per day was used (77.3 and 84.6 DDDs/100 bed-days, respectively). In 2021, there were cases of concomitant intravenous prescribing of acetylcysteine under the trade name of Fluimucil® with tableted forms of ambroxol and acetylcysteine under the name of ACC®. The cumulative consumption of hepatotoxic drugs was 269.2 DDDs/100 bed-days in 2020 and 401.5 DDDs/100 bed-days in 2021.Conclusion. Lack of drugs with proven effectiveness for treatment of COVID-19, worked-out treatment algorithms, a high mortality of patients in the hospitals led to polypragmasy, excessive prescribing of drugs in the hospitals. The prescription of antibacterial drugs, omeprazole, mucolytics, hepatotoxic drugs, immunosuppressors in infectious hospitals should be monitored by clinical pharmacologist.