DRUG USE EVALUATION OF ARTEMETHER-LUMEFANTRINE (COARTEM®) FOR FALCIPARUM MALARIA IN KARA MARA HOSPITAL, JI-JIGA TOWN, FAFAN ZONE, EASTERN ETHIOPIA
AbstractBackground: Malaria remains the most common public health problem in developing countries and is the number one cause of morbidity and mortality especially in children below five years of age. Since, November 2006, Coartem® an artemisinin combination therapy containing artemether-lumefantrine replaced sulphadoxine/ pyrimethamine as the first-line drug for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in developing countries including Ethiopia due to the development and spread of resistance of SP to Plasmodium falciparum. Objective: To evaluate the drug utilization pattern of coartem combination therapy in the treatment of P. falciparum Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from January 2015 – March 2015 on patient cards with coartem® prescription recorded from January 2014 to December 2015. Results: In this study, we observed that the dosing of coartem® mainly depends on age and weight. While the majority of patients 60.0% were given correct and 21.3% were received incorrect dose while the 18.7% patients were not stated doses. Conclusion: After analysis of dose, frequency, duration, indication, contra-indication, drug-drug interaction of coartem® given for patients in the hospital were indicated irrational of coartem® use. So, the health professionals especially pharmacy professionals should regularly and consistently check the rationality of the prescribed drugs.