Urban-Rural Disparity of Generics Prescription in Taiwan: The Example of Dihydropyridine Derivatives

Table 1

Prescribing amount of DHP derivatives in one million beneficiaries within Taiwan’s National Health Insurance in 2010, stratified by ingredient and branded/generic status.

ATC code	Ingredient	All DHP		Branded DHP			Generic DHP
		number of items	DDDs	number of items	DDDs	(%)	number of items	DDDs	(%)
C08CA01	Amlodipine	33	13,491,768	2	8,706,070	(64.5)	31	4,785,698	(35.5)
C08CA02	Felodipine	20	2,737,174	3	1,098,955	(40.1)	17	1,638,219	(59.9)
C08CA03	Isradipine	1	22,802	1	22,802	(100.0)
C08CA04	Nicardipine	8	11,064	3	6,253	(56.5)	5	4,811	(43.5)
C08CA05	Nifedipine	32	3,003,654	6	2,139,413	(71.2)	26	864,241	(28.8)
C08CA06	Nimodipine	2	1,024	2	1,024	(100.0)
C08CA07	Nisoldipine	2	3,437	2	3,437	(100.0)
C08CA08	Nitrendipine	4	94,027				4	94,027	(100.0)
C08CA09	Lacidipine	3	510,245	1	191,513	(37.5)	2	318,732	(62.5)
C08CA12	Barnidipine	2	53,606	2	53,606	(100.0)
C08CA13	Lercanidipine	1	1,339,212	1	1,339,212	(100.0)
C10BX03	Atorvastatin and amlodipine	1	338,903	1	338,903	(100.0)
Total		109	21,606,914	24	13,901,187	(64.3)	85	7,705,727	(35.7)

ATC: World Health Organization Anatomic Therapeutic and Chemical Classification; DHP: dihydropyridine; DDD: defined daily dose.