Indian Journal of Pharmacy Practice, Vol 14, Issue 4, Oct-Dec, 2021 259 Original Artcle www.ijopp.org DOI: 10.5530/ijopp.14.4.53 Address for correspondence: Dr. Akash Mathuria, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy Practice, K. B. Institute of Pharmaceuti- cal Education and Research, A Constituent College of Kadi Sarva Vishwavidyalaya, Gandhinagar-382024, Gujarat, INDIA. Phone no: +91 9157670228 Email id: akashmathuria@ gmail.com Evaluation of Usage of Drugs in Pregnancy at Private Hospitals Shivani Patel, Karishma Patel, Hely Patel, Utkarsh Gajjar, Shrikalp Deshpande, Akash Mathuria* Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy Practice, K. B. Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, INDIA. ABSTRACT Background: Pregnancy represents a special physiological state during which the use of the drug is inevitable due to the risk of teratogenicity with drugs. The evaluation of prescribing drugs in pregnancy is required due to a lack of knowledge about the harmful effects of these drugs in pregnant women and fetuses. Aim: To evaluate prescribing pattern of drugs and the FDA drug risk category in pregnant women at private hospitals. Materials and Methods: The observational prospective and multicenter study were conducted in 386 pregnant women for 6 months. Each prescription was analyzed for demographic variables, medical illness, antimicrobials, risk categories of drugs prescribed, dosage forms, and WHO prescribing indicators. Results: A total of 2507 drugs were reported in the 637 prescriptions of 386 patients. A large proportion of women had anemia during pregnancy (42.9%). Majority of prescriptions prescribed oral dosage forms of drugs (81.53%) and injections (15.59%). The majority of drugs used in this study were from Category A which included anti-anemic, thyroid therapy drugs, vitamins, and minerals, followed by category C which included calcium supplements, muscle relaxants, and antihypertensive medications. No drugs were prescribed from category X. Conclusion: Iron, Calcium, and Folic acid along with Vitamins and Minerals were the most frequently prescribed drugs. In general, the drug use pattern is rational with few exceptions. The majority of drugs were used from category A followed by Category C. Drugs prescribed by their Brand name were higher than prescribed by their Generic name. Key words: Pregnancy, WHO prescribing indicators, FDA Drug Risk Categories, Antihypertensive medication in pregnancy, Vitamins and Minerals. INTRODUCTION Pregnancy defines a specific physiological state in which the usage of the drug is a major concern due to the possibility of teratogenicity with drugs. In the recent past, most studies have reported an increase in drug use during pregnancy. These unique changes are a challenge to physicians managing states during pregnancy in the selection of medication to treat the patient. Quality information about the safety and efficacy of medication used during pregnancy is lacking for the majority of the prescription drugs available in the market. 1-2 Medicine is a chemical substance used in the prevention, cure, and treatment of the disease. 3 Every drug has its pharmacological actions. The pharmacokinetics of certain drugs is altered by the specific physiological change that occurred during pregnancy in the women. 4 Safety profile of drug used in pregnancy is not directly established in human pregnancy. This is because clinical trial studies of drugs exclude the special population like geriatrics, pediatrics, and pregnant women due to ethical and legal reasons. 5 Therefore, there is a lack of knowledge and information about the harmful effects of these drugs in pregnant women and fetuses. 6