International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | December 2018 | Vol 6 | Issue 12 Page 4102 International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Arya P et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2018 Dec;6(12):4102-4105 www.msjonline.org pISSN 2320-6071 | eISSN 2320-6012 Original Research Article Study of price variations of anti-epileptic drugs available in different brands in Indian pharmaceutical market Purnendu Arya 1 , Ratan Kumar 2 *, Akash Chandra 1 , Lalit Mohan 1 INTRODUCTION Epilepsy is a group of neurological disorders which is characterized by seizures, loss of consciousness, muscular contraction. 1 The cause of most cases of epilepsy is unknown. 2 Some cases occur as the result of brain injury, stroke, brain tumors, infections of the brain, and birth defects through a process known as epileptogenesis. 2 Known genetic mutations also causes some cases of epilepsy. 3 The diagnosis involves ruling out other conditions such as alcohol withdrawal or electrolyte problems. 3 Epileptic seizures are the result of excessive and abnormal neuronal activity in the cortex of the brain. 4 In 2015, about 39 million people have epilepsy. 5 Nearly 80% of cases occur in the developing world. In 2015, it resulted in 125,000 deaths up from 112,000 deaths in 1990. 6 Epilepsy is more common in older people. 7 In the developed world, onset of new cases occurs most frequently in babies and the elderly. 8 In the developing world, onset is more common in older children and young adults, due to differences in the frequency of the underlying causes. 9 The diagnosis of epilepsy is typically made based on observation of the seizure onset and the underlying cause. 10 An electroencephalogram (EEG) to look for 1 Department of Pharmacology, IGIMS, Patna, Bihar, India 2 Department of Pharmacology, M. G. M Medical College, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India Received: 07 August 2018 Accepted: 21 October 2018 *Correspondence: Dr. Ratan Kumar, E-mail: drratan58@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: To analyze the cost ratio and percentage cost variations in different brands of the commonly prescribed anti-epileptic drugs available in Indian pharmaceutical market. Methods: The maximum and minimum price of each brand of the drug given in INR was noted by using CIMS January to April 2018 edition and drug today April to June 2018 Vol-1. The cost ratio and the percentage cost variation for individual drug brands was calculated. The cost of one bottle in case of 100ml syrup and 10 tablets/capsules was calculated in case of oral drugs and the cost of one 1 vial or ampoule was noted in case of injectable drugs. At last the cost ratio and percentage cost variation of various brands was compared. Results: After calculation of cost ratio and percentage cost variation for each brand of anti-epileptic drug tablet clonazepam (2mg) shows highest cost ratio and percentage cost variation as: 10.41 and 941.66, carbamazepine (200mg SR tablet) shows lowest cost ratio and percentage cost variation as: 1.09 and 9.32. Conclusions: Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder and Epileptic drugs are to be prescribed for prolonged period. If a costly brand is prescribed, the patients have to pay more money unnecessarily for their treatment. There is a wide difference in the cost of different brands of anti-epileptic drugs available in India. The clinicians prescribing these drugs should be aware of these variations in cost to reduce the cost of drug therapy. Keywords: Anti-Epileptic drugs, Cost ratio, Percentage cost variation DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20184914