Market analysis of oral antidiabetic drugs in Republic Macedonia

Antidiabetic drugs are developed to stabilize and control blood glucose levels to normal ranges and relieve symptoms of diabetes such as thirst, excessive urination, and ketoacidosis. The analysis of the market of antidiabetics implies analysis of all oral antidiabetic drugs registered in Republic of Macedonia, their status as regards the reimbursement, financial and physical availability, compared with the recommendations for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in evidence-based medicine and other therapeutic guides, as well as the analysis of the consumption of antidiabetic products dispensed and reimbursed by the Health Insurance Fund (HIF) in pharmacies in Macedonia. For this purpose, we used relevant data from primary, secondary and tertiary literature, recommendations from Evidence-based Medicine, official data from world and national drug registers and published reports from the HIF of Republic of Macedonia for consumption of antidiabetics from the Positive List. For data processing we used the descriptive method and presented the obtained results in tables and charts. The market of antidiabetics in Republic of Macedonia is characterized with high presence of generic drugs, high consumption determined by the number of issued prescriptions and also by the financial amount. Innovative drugs hardly enter the market and even more difficult on the Positive List, due to the financial constraint of the Health Insurance Fund and complicated procedures. These important factors significantly limit the possibility of doctors’ choice to introduce new therapy in these patients, to monitor the effects of treatments and also to gain experience with innovative drugs and treatment