aDepartment of Pharmacology, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main
bDAPI – German Institute for Drug Use Evaluation, Eschborn, Germany
Correspondence to Professor Martin Schulz, RPh, PhD, FFIP, DAPI – German Institute for Drug Use Evaluation, Carl-Mannich-Strasse 26, 65760 Eschborn, GermanyTel: +49 61 9692 8818; fax: +49 61 9692 8813; e-mail: [email protected],[email protected]
Abbreviations: ABDA, Bundesvereinigung Deutscher Apothekerverbände (Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists); AOK, Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse (local social health insurance fund); BKK, Betriebskrankenkassen (company health insurance fund); DAPI, Deutsches Arzneiprüfungsinstitut e. V. (German Institute for Drug Use Evaluation); DDD, defined daily dose; GKV, Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung (statutory health insurance); MPR, medication possession ratio; MPRDDD, MPR, based on the DDD of ramipril within the observation period; MPRUD, MPR, based on the intake of one unit dose per day within the observation period; PZN, Pharmazentralnummer (unique code in Germany for each medicinal product available on the market); SHI, statutory health insurance; VdEK, Verband der Angestellten Krankenkassen (association of substitute sickness funds)
This work was previously presented in part at the ESPACOMP symposium in Basle, Switzerland, 2008 and at the 17th GAA annual meeting in Osnabrück, Germany, 2010.
Received 21 December, 2010
Revised 28 April, 2011
Accepted 27 May, 2011
