Rational Use of Medicine: A Pressing Need

The Alma-Ata declaration, during the International Conference on Primary Health Care in 1978, reaffirmed that health is a fundamental human right and the attainment of the highest possible level of health is an important worldwide social goal. [1] The conference of experts on the rational use of medicines, convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Nairobi 1985, stated that rational use of medicines requires that patients receive medications appropriate to their clinical needs, in doses that meet their own individual requirements for an adequate period of time, at the lowest cost to them and their community. Irrational use is the use of medicines in a way that is not compliant with rational use as defined above. The use of too many medicines per patient known as polypharmacy is one of the common types of irrational medicine use. [2, 3] Medicines are integral part of the health care system and modern health care is unthinkable without the availability of necessary medicines. Accessibility to medication is a fundamental right of every person. [4] Ever since the accessibility of modern medicine increased all over the world, increasing incidents of its misuse in the form of overprescribing, multi-medicine prescribing, use of unnecessary expensive medicines, self medication and overuse of antimicrobials and injections started. Fixed dose combinations (FDCs), are combinations of two or more active medicines in a single dosage form. The Food and Drug Administration, USA defines a combination product as 'a product composed of any combination of a medicine and a device or a biological product and a device or a medicine and a biological product or a medicine, device, and a biological product'. [5] Advantages of Fixed Dose Combinations [6] The FDCs have the advantage of combination therapy as well as advantage related to reducing the number of pills to be taken. Reducing the number of pills diminishes the complexity of the regimen and therefore leads to improved patient adherence. Reduced administration costs stem from simplified packaging, fewer prescriptions, and lesser dispensing time and cost. Abstract Increasing incidents of overprescribing, multi-medicine prescribing, use of unnecessary expensive medicines, self medication and overuse of antimicrobials and injections is a big concern today.Increasing use of Fixed dose combinations (FDCs)by prescribers and introduction by pharmaceutical houses is a big concern in the filed of rational pharmacotherapeutics.The current review highlights this very important aspect in detail.