Marketing and pharmacoeconomic studies of statin drugs

Aim. To conduct a marketing and pharmacoeconomic analysis of statin drugs and study consumption trends of this group of drugs based on sales indicators from pharmacies. Materials and methods. The paper used methods of desk marketing research, economic and statistical method, methods of pharmacoepidemiological and pharmacoeconomic research (formal VN-analysis, cost minimization method). Consumption of monocomponent statin drugs was studied according to sales data for 2024 at 1746 pharmacies, which are part of three pharmacy chains. The physical availability of statins was studied according to penetration indicators in pharmacies, economic availability — according to the solvency adequacy ratio. Results and their discussion. The State Register found 253 records of registration of statins with the following INNs: simvastatin, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, and pitavastatin. The largest number of drugs, trade names, domestic and foreign manufacturers are represented in the rosuvastatin and atorvastatin segment. Simvastatin drugs are represented by only one domestic manufacturer, and there are no domestic pitavastatin drugs on the market. According to the results of the formal VN analysis, only simvastatin belongs to category V, which is present in all analyzed regulatory and medical-technological documents. Simvastatin, which consumers can receive with reimbursement, occupies only 18.11% in terms of the number of DDs sold. The largest share in statin consumption by DD is occupied by rosuvastatin (56.31%) and atorvastatin (25.39%). All simvastatin drugs have high economic availability for the population; among atorvastatin and rosuvastatin drugs, there are drugs with both high and medium economic availability; all pitavastatin drugs have medium economic availability. Among the simvastatin, atorvastatin, and rosuvastatin drugs, most DDs released belong to foreign manufacturers. Conclusions. The Ukrainian statin market has revealed a predominance of foreign manufacturers in terms of the number of registered drugs, trade names, and the share of DDs sold from pharmacies. The drugs that lead in sales volume, in most cases, have high physical availability, but are not the cheapest treatment options. Currently, there is a possibility of reimbursement for the cost of treatment only with simvastatin, which is classified as a low-effective statin. Ukrainian consumers can choose atorvastatin and rosuvastatin drugs from domestic and foreign manufacturers in a wide price range (except for certain dosages), however, some drugs with high economic availability have very low penetration rates in pharmacies. The low physical availability of the only domestic drug of the simvastatin group and the lack of domestic drugs of the pitavastatin group may limit patients' access to more affordable treatment options. The high proportion of consumption of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin, which are not subject to reimbursement, makes it urgent to expand the reimbursement program to increase access to modern statin therapy for more patients.