(P-162) Key Opportunities and Future Direction for Drug Utilization Research in Africa

Background: The African region has a unique epidemiology with increasingly high rates of both infectious- and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and increasing prevalence of multiple comorbidities. Drug utilization research (DUR) in Africa faces challenges but also opportunities.

Objectives: To identify key opportunities for DUR in Africa and to provide future direction utilizing examples.

Methods: A narrative review of publications on DUR in Africa was carried out and complemented with extensive knowledge from local experts. Publications were reviewed and grouped into main themes to identify key priority areas and opportunities to improve DUR in response to current challenges.

Results: Five main themes were identified. 1) Development of pertinent quality indicators (QIs) to improve compliance to standard treatment guidelines and patient care; generation of data to benchmark with other regions and countries. 2) Monitoring and management of NCDs especially to address issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic e.g., reduced access to healthcare and suboptimal treatment adherence; this increasingly includes patients with multiple comorbidities given high prevalence rates in sub-Saharan Africa. 3) Development of national action plans to reduce growing rates of antimicrobial resistance; documenting current usage patterns across sectors, including point prevalence studies, with an App developed in South Africa to reduce data collection time; interventions to reduce inappropriate dispensing of antimicrobials e.g. trained community pharmacies. 4) Increased use and patient engagement with eHealth and digital health resources present multiple opportunities for digital health interventions. 5) Growing academic field of DUR with trained experts who can mentor young researchers to ensure scientific rigour in drug utilization studies; growing international support and expertise available e.g. the Sub-Saharan Africa Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics to ensure statistically informed and valid DUR.

Conclusions: Considering the epidemiology, there are appreciable opportunities to conduct DUR across Africa to improve the care of patients. Countries can subsequently enhance the quality and efficiency of prescribing and dispensing based on their findings including new QIs. Future studies are needed, especially post-COVID-19 with its envisaged impact on increasing morbidity and mortality associated with NCDs. Organizations such as the MURIA Group, ISPE and the ISPE African Chapter provide the ideal platforms for collaborative research and capacity building.