OBJECTIVES: Up to 40% of global and 7.4- 41.3% of Middle East population are affected by Rhinitis Allergic. Patients with Rhinitis Allergic (RA) versus control group experience approximately twofold pharmaceutical expenditures and 1.8 fold number of visits. Since drug utilization can show various times of developing a disease in a country, it is used as an alternative for prevalence. In this study we try to examine and explain consumption of anti-allergic medicines during past 12 years, in order to have a prospective view of these kinds of medicines.

METHODS: In this descriptive and cross-sectional study which investigates anti-allergic medicines over a 12-year period (2006–2017), we used Iranian pharmaceutical statistical datasheet published by Iranian Ministry of Health. According to treatment guideline of rhinitis allergic and WHO ATC code, we categorized anti allergic medicines into 5 groups (antihistamines, Beta 2 agonists, Corticosteroids, Fixed dose and others), Then DIDs for these groups were calculated and analyzed.

RESULTS: Based on our finding in this study, cetirizine, Loratadine and Inhaled Salbutamol get the highest DID among all of 5 groups, with 99.2, 65.4 and 57.6 retrospectively. Generally 3 groups of this study (second generation anti histamines, fixed dose combination and others) are faced with ascending market sales.

CONCLUSIONS: broadly with upward trend of anti-allergic medicines we can conclude that incidence of Rhinitis Allergic in Iran during past 12 years has increased and policy makers should follow this trend concerning better supply chain.