Análisis del consumo de inhibidores de la enzima convertidora de angioténsina en el territorio oeste de La Habana, 2005-2009

the planning of resources is a pressing problem in the developing nations including cuba, hence using restricted budgets and dwindling foreign currencies in the best possible way is a must. planning the amount of required drugs to assure their adequate supply at all medical assistance levels is a vital task in which a number of factors are involved. this paper was aimed at showing to what extent the introduction of enalapril pills into the market influenced the consumption of captopril tablets, through the analysis of the consumption patterns of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in the west side of havana from march 2005 to december 2007. to this end, a retrospective, observational and descriptive study on the use of consumption drugs was conducted. the number of doses per 1 000 inhabitant-days (did) was estimated. the results of this paper showed how the consumption shifted to enalapril in this group. this is logical on account of easier administration and lower incidence of adverse effects. however, captopril keeps its consumption figures of 20-30 did per 1 000 inhabitants since there is still a group of patients who follow this treatment and is the drug of choice in hypertensive crises.