Table 2. Therapeutic groups and subgroups most used in the total sample considering only the medicines that had their packages or blisters presented, and proportion of generics in the total of each group. PNAUM, Brazil, 2014. (N = 37,419)a.
| ATC classificationb level 1 and level 2 | Most used therapeutic groups | |
|---|---|---|
|
| ||
| All (%)c | Generics (%) | |
| C: Cardiovascular system | 35.9 | 40.1 |
| C09 Agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system | 36.9 | 49.2 |
| C03 Diuretics | 22.0 | 37.4 |
| C07 Beta-blockers | 14.1 | 43.0 |
| C10 Lipids modifying agents | 13.4 | 33.9 |
| N: Nervous system | 18.6 | 35.3 |
| N02 Analgesics | 40.8 | 37.8 |
| N06 Psychoanaleptics | 19.3 | 40.9 |
| N03 Antiepileptics | 17.7 | 27.2 |
| N05 Psycholeptics | 17.3 | 36.7 |
| A: Alimentary tract and metabolism | 16.0 | 29.5 |
| A10 Medicines used for diabetes | 34.2 | 41.3 |
| A02 Medicines for acid-related disorders | 31.6 | 40.7 |
| A11 Vitamins | 12.2 | 0 |
| A03 Medicines for functional gastrointestinal disorders | 9.3 | 18.6 |
| M: Musculoskeletal system | 8.7 | 20.5 |
| M01 Anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic medicines | 63.1 | 25.3 |
| M03 Muscle relaxants | 25.6 | 11.3 |
| M05 Medicines for treatment of bone diseases | 8.4 | 7.3 |
| R: Respiratory system | 5.1 | 18.8 |
| R03 Agents against airway obstructive diseases | 29.9 | 13.4 |
| R06 Antihistamines for systemic use | 29.3 | 30.5 |
| R05 Cough and cold preparations | 21.9 | 23.4 |
| R01 Preparations for nasal use | 18.6 | 3.7 |
| J: Anti-infectives for systemic use | 2.7 | 37.2 |
| J01 Antibacterials for systemic use | 88.7 | 40.0 |
| J05 Antivirals for systemic use | 6.8 | 20.8 |
| J02 Antifungal agents for systemic use | 2.4 | 3.4 |
| H: Systemic hormonal preparations, excluding sex hormones and insulins | 2.3 | 27.8 |
| H03 Thyroid therapy | 64.0 | 23.2 |
| H02 Corticosteroids for systemic use | 35.8 | 36.4 |
| B: Blood and haematopoietic organs | 2.0 | 15.4 |
| B03 Anti-anemic preparations | 57.5 | 6.3 |
| B01 Antithrombotic agents | 41.6 | 27.9 |
| Other ATC level 1 | 8.6 | - |
| Total ATC level 1 groups | 100 | 31.2 |
a Only medicines whose packages were shown in the interview allowed the classification as a generic, which corresponds to 63.2% of the medicines. Contraceptives, despite their packaging, were not classified as generics, therefore, they are not part of this analysis.
b Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system. Only the most frequent ATC level 2 are presented for each ATC1 group.
c Percentages adjusted by sample weights and post-stratification according to age and sex.
The values in bold refer to the total from the level 1 of ATC classification.