OBJECTIVES

: Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the trends in cardiovascular drug use and mortality in Serbia.

METHODS

: Cardiovascular drugs (CVD), (ATC group C) utilization data during the seven-year period (2006-2012) was retrieved from the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia. Results were expressed in defined-daily-doses per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID). Mortality data (ASDR per 100000 inhabitants) was retreived from the WHO database.

RESULTS

: Utilization of CVD in Serbia showed a steady increasing trend (399.79DID 2006 to 527.99 DID in 2012). ACE inhibitors represented the most used drugs in all years analyzed (≈40% of group C, average DID 130.89). Subgroup C01 (cardiac therapy) was second, mostly due to high use of vasodilatators used in cardiac diseases (C01D), but with a decreasing tendency (38.75 to 27.58 DID for C01D). The utilization of diuretics remained stable. There was an increasing tendency in the use of angiotensin receptor blockers (0.06 to 1.75 DID), but their use still remains negligible in Serbia. The use of lipid modifying agents more than doubled during the observed period (12.74 to 26.25 DID, relative increase 106%). There was relative increase of 62% in the use of calcium channel blockers (C08). Significant decrease in mortality from ischaemic heart diseases (100.7 to 70.4) and cerebrovascular diseases (121.3 to 91.1) was noted, while mortality from hypertensive diseases increased slightly. Increase in CVD utilization was followed with a decrease in mortality, yet the death rates are still high in comparison to the European average, especially for hypertensive disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

: The increasing trends in use of CVD and a decrease in mortality was observed in this study.

Acknowledgement: This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia, project No. 41012.