Trends in prescribing in primary care in Croatia, 2000-2012: prescribing volume, costs and regulatory measures.

The rise of pharmaceutical costs is a significant burden to overall health care expenditure. The Croatian Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) in attempts of its containment, use administrative measures directed toward the two greatest generators: pharmaceutical industry, through negotiating prices and periodic revisions of basic and suplemental drug lists, and primary care physicians, through limits in the volume of prescriptions, and annual financial expenditure. The aim of the study was to determine trends in quantity of issued prescriptions and pharmaceutical expanditure from 2000 to 2012. Data were obtained from the CHIF annual reports. Results clearly demonstrate two trends: the increase in quantity of issued prescriptions, together with accompanying rates: number of prescriptions per inhabitants, and per patients, and the increase in total cost of prescriptions until 2004, with their maintenance and slight variations since then. Despite controversies in approach, CHIF succeded in slowing down the costs, primarily by applying measures towards regulation of drug prices.