A STUDY OF PREVAILING SCENARIO OF FIXED-DOSE DRUG COMBINATIONS (FDCs) AVAILABLE IN INDIAN MARKET

Sumit Patel, Rima Shah, Sagun Desai

Aim: To study the prevailing scenario of FDCs available in Indian market. Methodology: This was an observational, analytical and cross sectional study. This study involved analysis of currently available FDCs in Indian Drug Review (IDR) for essentiality and rationality. Information about number of drugs per FDC, their dosage form, ingredients, category, essentiality and rationality of FDCs was collected. Results: A total of 16599 drugs and 6485 (39.07%) FDCs were present in IDR. More than four ingredients were found in 102 (1.56%) FDCs. The highest number of drugs and FDCs were found in category of antimicrobial drugs. More than 70% FDCs were found to irrational. Conclusion: In India, irrational FDCs are freely available. There is a concern regarding the production, prescription, and use of irrational FDCs. Considering the enormous use of drugs in Indian population, it is high time that pharmaceutical companies, health care professionals and regulatory authorities join hands and prescribe guidelines for the manufacture and sale of FDCs.