Antirheumatic Medicine Prescribing Patterns and Direct Medicine Costs in the South African Private Health Sector.

Objectives: To describe antirheumatic medicine prescribing patterns and to estimate the total annual direct medicine cost of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the private health sector of South Africa.

Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional drug utilization study was performed on medicine claims data from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2014, for a total of 4,352 patients with RA. Patients were divided into those with RA only and those with RA and other chronic disease list conditions.

Chronic disease list conditions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the private healthcare sector of South Africa.

Introduction: Little is known about the burden of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in South Africa. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of RA and coexisting chronic disease list (CDL) conditions in the private health sector of South Africa.

Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional analysis was performed on medicine claims data from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014 to establish the prevalence of RA.