[Potential impact of measures to minimise costs of pharmaceutical provision in the province of Toledo].

Objective: To analyze the potential saving in the pharmaceutical cost that would suppose the use of equivalent pharmaceutical specialties and smaller price, in the main groups of pharmaceutical cost in 1998.

Design: Pharmacoepidemiologic study of drug utilization and a pharmaeconomic analysis of minimisation costs.

Location: Primary care of the province of Toledo.

Participants: Prescriptions with official medical prescription of the pharmaceutical groups of greater cost during 1998 (peptic antiulcer, hipolipemiants, antagonists of calcium, hipotensors, peripheral vasodilators, macrolids, nonsteroidal antiinflamatories and antirheumatics, antidepressants and bronchodilatadors).

Main Measurements: Calculation of consumption by means of defined daily doses, cost of treatment to the day and potential saving.

Results: The potential saving in 1998 in the province of Toledo was 1405 million pesetas, which supposes 25% of the total amount of the pharmaceutical cost. Omeprazol, ranitidin and enalapril with 44.65, 46.02 and 32.84% of variation between prescribed and the cheapest alternative, were the specialties with a greater potential of saving.

Conclusions: The alternative to prescribe equivalent pharmaceutical specialties and of smaller price has a great potential of saving.