Original study ISSN 2334-9492 (Online) Hospital Pharmacology. 2020; 7(3):966-975 UDC: 615.272(497.11)”2015/2017”; 615.272(48)”2015/2017” Comparative Analysis of the Use of Lipid Modifying Agents in the Republic of Serbia and Nordic Countries in the Period 2015-2017 A Nikola B. Martić 1 , Dragan D. Zečević 2 , Milena V. Đurđević 1 , Dragana S. Milijašević 3 , Nataša Z. Tomić 4 , Mladena N. Lalić-Popović 5 , Nemanja B. Todorović 5 , Danilo V. Medin 6 , Branimir B. Mićanović 1 , Boris Ž. Milijašević 1 1 Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia 2 International Center for Cardiovascular Diseases - MC Medicor, Izola, Slovenia 3 Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia 4 Emergency Center, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia 5 Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia 6 Clinic for Nephrology and Clinical Immunology, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia SUMMARY Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death both in Serbia and in the rest of the world. It has been shown that as many as 80% of them are preventable. Control of serum lipid levels is one of the most important tasks of cardiovascular diseases prevention. Aim: The aim of the study was to analyze the use of serum lipid-modifying drugs in Serbia, Norway and Finland in the period 2015-2017. Methods: Data on drugs use during 2015, 2016 and 2017 were taken from the ofcial websites of national drug regulatory authorities: the Serbian Medicines and Medical De- vices Agency, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Finnish Medicines Agency. Use was expressed as DDD/1000 inhabitants/day according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classifcation. Results: The share of drugs used for treatment of cardiovascular diseases in total drugs use was the largest in all three countries during the observed period. The use of lipid- modifying agents was 3-4 times lower in Serbia than in Norway or Finland. Of all lipid- modifying drugs, statins are most commonly prescribed in all three countries. Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin are the most widely used in Serbia, and simvastatin and atorvastatin in Norway and Finland. Conclusions: Use of lipid-modifying drugs in Serbia is lower than in Norway and Finland, but it is constantly increasing. This use in Serbia still represents the smallest share of all drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Keywords: Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Hypolipidemic Agents, Statins, Fibrates 966 © The Serbian Medical Society 2014 Corresponding author: Associate Professor Boris Ž. Milijašević, MD, PhD Specialist in Clinical Pharmacology Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3. 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia E-mail: boris.milijasevic@mf.uns.ac.rs doi:10.5937/hpimj2003966M