Out-patient drugs are dispensed through community pharmacies. Drug utilization
studies should be periodically performed in order to facilitate therapeutic efficacy and cost
effectiveness, decrease adverse effects and provide feedback to prescribers to promote rational
use of drugs. This study is a retrospective one which compares drug utilization and drug product
cost of different antibiotics in 15 community pharmacies in Zawia, Libya. The study period was
three months (January - March 2009). A total number of 512 prescriptions were studied of
which, 57% were of male patients. The most frequently prescribed antibiotic (37 occurrences)
was amoxicillin. The antibiotic with the highest total treatment cost (LD 551.25) was amoxicillin
plus clavulanic acid while penicillin V was the antibiotic with the lowest total cost (LD 3.25).
The highest mean cost was LD 52.00 for levofloxacin per patient. The most frequently
prescribed route of administration was oral route (73%) and the least was parenteral route (6%).
Average treatment period was rounded and found to be five days. In conclusion, the present data
indicated an overuse of amoxicillin, in contrast to other antibiotics at least in Zawia, Libya. In
the light of growing concerns over antibiotic resistance, the prescribers should consider equally
pharmacologically effective and more cost effective antibiotics based on rationale approach.
National drug utilization policy will facilitate to achieve these challenges towards achieving
rational drug use.