The consumption of antibiotics has decreased by about 8 percent in the fiscal year 2005-06 compared to the previous year.
According to new findings disclosed by the Pharmaceuticals Horizon of Nepal (PHN), the antibiotics occupy over 30 percent of the total drug consumption in the country. Value of total drug consumed in the fiscal year 2005-06 was estimated to be around Rs 9.98 billion.
The research states that net value of antibiotic consumption is Rs 2.717 billion and the national pharmaceutical industries have some 49 percent share.
Amoxicillin, Ciprofloxacin and Cefadroxil are the common antibiotics found in Nepalese drug market and their total sales in the year 2005-06 was Rs 422 million, Rs 242 million and Rs 189 million respectively.
The top selling drugs from the national producers include Amoxicillin, Vitamins preparations and cough preparations. According to the research total sales of these drugs in that year of Rs 313 million, Rs 206 million and 142 million respectively.
The top selling imported drugs include topical skin preparations, methyl ergometrin and dicofenac whose net consumption value was Rs 230 million, Rs 211 million and Rs 207 million respectively.
More than 90 percent of the drugs consumed in the country are allopathic with total consumption of Rs 9 billion. The total consumption of Ayurvedic medicines stood at Rs 593 million that year.
The PHN has suggested the government to encourage the domestic production to meet the increasing demands of medicines and set up the antibiotic surveillance system to monitor the prescription of the medicines.