164. Restriction of Antimicrobials Dispensing without Prescription on a National Level: Impact on the Overall Antimicrobial Utilization in Community Pharmacies in Saudi Arabia

Abstract Background High rates of non-prescription dispending of antimicrobials has led to a significant increase in antimicrobial overuse and misuse in Saudi Arabia (SA). The objective of this study was to evaluate antimicrobial utilization following enforcement of a new prescription-only antimicrobial dispensing policy in the community pharmacy setting in SA. Methods Data were extracted from the IQVIA database between May 2017 and May 2019. Antimicrobial consumption rate based on the sales, defined daily dose in grams (DDD), DDD/1000 inhabitants’/day (DID), and antimicrobial claims for pre-policy (May 2017 to April 2018) and post-policy (June 2018 to May 2019) periods was assessed. Results Overall antimicrobial utilization slightly declined (~9-10%) in post-policy vs. pre-policy period (sales, 31,334 vs.34,492 thousand units; DDD, 183,134 vs. 202,936 thousand grams), with an increase in the number of claims (~16%) after policy implementation. There was a sudden drop in the consumption rate immediately after policy enforcement; however, the values increased subsequently, matching closely to the pre-policy values. Consumption patterns were similar in both periods. Penicillins were the most commonly used antimicrobial (sales, 14,700 - 11,648 thousand units; DDD, 71,038 - 91,227 thousand grams; DID, 2.88 - 3.78). For both the periods, the highest dip in utilization was observed in July (sales, 1,027 - 1,559 thousand units; DDD, 6,194 - 9,399 thousand grams), while the highest spike was in March/October (sales, 3,346 - 3,884 thousand units; DDD, 22,329 - 19,453 thousand grams). Conclusion Non-prescription antimicrobial utilization reduced minimally following policy implementation in the community pharmacy setting across SA. Measures to aid effective implementation of prescription-only regulations are necessary. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures