ArticleNaunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology2025
DDD-costs have a strong influence on antibacterial drug prescription in Germany: a differentiated correlation analysis from 1985 to 2022.
Article in Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Determinants of prescribing behaviour of antibacterial drugs in Europe and use of appropriate nomenclature in the literature.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Review
- Similarities in the consumption trajectory of antibacterial drugs in the outpatient care sector in Germany from 1986 to 2022: identification of shared patterns, correlation analysis of prescribed defined daily dose and assessment of underlying influences.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Article
- AWaRe classification analysis for European countries with ARIMA forecasts to assess prescribing patterns and 'One Health' targets.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Article
- Antibiotic Prescription Patterns in the Post-COVID-19 Era in Six European Countries: A Cross-Sectional Study.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Most European countries will miss EU targets on antibacterial use by 2030: historical analysis of European and OECD countries, comparison of community and hospital sectors and forecast to 2040.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Article
- Long-term forecast for antibacterial drug consumption in Germany using ARIMA models.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Article
- Daily defined dose-costs have a stronger influence on antibacterial drug prescriptions in Germany than bacterial resistance: economic factors are more important than scientific evidence.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Article
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2 authors.
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Abstract
Antibacterial drugs are vital in modern medicine, and understanding the factors influencing their prescriptions is essential for maintaining their effectiveness and accessibility. This study investigates the hypothesis that costs significantly impact the prescriptions of antibacterial drugs, a factor previously underrecognized. To investigate this, we conducted correlation analyses on defined daily dose (DDD-) prescriptions and DDD-costs for the 15 most prescribed antibacterial drugs in Germany in 2022, using data from the Arzneimittelverordnungsreport (Drug Prescription Report) (1985-2022). The analysis focused on the periods 1985-2022, 1985-2011, and 2012-2022. Our findings revealed significant correlations between DDD-prescriptions and -costs for nearly all drugs over the entire period (1985-2022), with strong negative correlations for amoxicillin (- 0.941), cefuroxime axetil (- 0.900), clindamycin (- 0.800), nitrofurantoin (- 0.895), and cefaclor (- 0.819). From 1985 to 2011, only significant negative correlations were observed. In 2012-2022, significant correlations included both negative and positive, with strong positive correlations for ciprofloxacin (0.950) and clarithromycin (0.962). Overall, DDD-costs showed a persistent and strong correlation with DDD-prescriptions, particularly in the earlier period. This influence appears to diminish slightly in recent years, suggesting other factors might become more significant as DDD-costs plateau. Notably, amoxicillin, amoxicillin clavulanic acid, and nitrofurantoin consistently exhibited strong cost-prescription correlations throughout the entire period. While correlation does not imply causation, the significant and strong correlations, coupled with logical explanations, support the hypothesis that costs are a primary factor in prescribing patterns. Further research is needed to establish causality and examine other potential systemic factors affecting antibacterial drug prescriptions.
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