Acquisition cost of dispensed drugs in individuals with multiple medications--a register-based study in Sweden.

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the acquisition cost of dispensed prescription drugs for individuals with multiple medications in a national population.

METHODS: We collected and analysed individual based data regarding the acquisition cost of dispensed prescription drugs for all individuals with five or more dispensed drugs (DP≥5) in Sweden 2006 (2.2 million).

RESULTS: Individuals with DP≥5 (24.5% of the population) accounted for 78.8% of the total acquisition cost, and individuals with DP≥10 (8.6% of the population) and DP≥15 (3.0% of the population) accounted for 46.3% and 23.2%, respectively. The average acquisition cost per defined daily doses (DDD) generally decreased with increasing age. The highest average cost per DDD was observed for individuals with DP≥10. The acquisition cost for women with DP≥5 represented 56.0% of the total acquisition cost. Men with DP≥5 represented 44.0% of the total acquisition cost.

CONCLUSIONS: In an entire national population, individuals with multiple medication accounted for four fifths of the total acquisition cost of dispensed drugs. Actions to reduce the number of prescription drugs for the group of patients with a number of different drugs may also result in a substantial reduction of the total acquisition cost.