Drug utilization pattern of COVID-19 according to clinical severity

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an extraordinary strain on healthcare systems worldwide, underscoring the need for evidence-based pharmacotherapy and rational use of medicines. Despite the availability of international and national treatment guidelines, notable variations in drug selection and utilization persist across healthcare institutions. Evaluating medication use according to clinical severity is vital for ensuring therapeutic rationality, improving patient outcomes, and optimizing pharmaceutical resource management. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess medication use and associated costs among inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 at the Mongolia–Japan Hospital of MNUMS and the National Center for Communicable Diseases through ABC analysis Materials and Methods: A retrospective, document-based study was conducted at the Mongolia-Japan Hospital (MJH) and the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) in Ulaanbaatar. Medical and pharmacy records of 1,012 inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 between April 18 and December 31, 2021, were reviewed. Drug utilization was assessed using the ABC analysis method, classifying medicines based on their proportional contribution to total pharmaceutical expenditure. Comparative analyses were performed to identify differences in utilization patterns between hospitals and across clinical severity levels. Results: Of the total pharmaceutical expenditure for COVID-19 treatment, six medicines (4.5% of all drugs) were categorized as Class A, accounting for 69.7% of total costs. Class B included seven medicines (7.0%, 19.5% of total costs), while Class C comprised twenty-six medicines (88.6%, 10.6% of total costs). Remdesivir 100 mg injection, a Class A drug, represented 18.5% of total drug expenditure at MJH (used in 78 patients) and 36.2% at NCCD (used in 133 patients). Overall, approximately 70% of total expenditure was concentrated in a small number of high-cost medicines, indicating potential inefÏciencies in pharmaceutical resource utilization. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a limited number of high-cost medicines, particularly Remdesivir, accounted for the majority of COVID-19 treatment expenditures. Strengthening evidence-based prescribing, rational selection, and monitoring of high-cost drugs is essential to enhance resource efÏciency, ensure equitable access, and sustain hospital pharmaceutical care systems during pandemic response and beyond.