Current Drug Research Reviews - Volume 18, Issue 1, 2026

Escalating healthcare costs and increasing demands on healthcare systems have increased the need for efficient resource allocation. Pharmacoeconomics is a vital field that quantifies and compares the value of therapeutic drugs or treatments. It provides a systematic framework for decision-makers in the pharmaceutical industry, government, and private sectors to optimize healthcare delivery and spending. This review aimed to explore the role of pharmacoeconomic models in assessing the economic and clinical value of therapies. It emphasizes the importance of cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, cost-benefit, and cost-minimization analyses in balancing costs with outcomes and guiding healthcare resource allocation.

Pharmacoeconomic methodologies focus on assessing the costs, processes, and outcomes associated with therapeutic interventions. Key methods include cost-minimization, cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and cost-benefit analyses. These approaches are critical in regulatory compliance, reimbursement decisions, cost assessments, and sustaining pharmaceutical models.

This review reveals that pharmacoeconomic approaches such as Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA), Cost-Utility Analysis (CUA), and Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) are widely used to guide healthcare policy decisions, particularly in resource-constrained settings. CEA is the most commonly applied method due to its simplicity, while CUA is gaining traction in advanced policy frameworks like Health Technology Assessment (HTA). In India, pharmacoeconomic research is emerging but faces barriers such as limited access to real-world data, the absence of national reimbursement systems, and high out-of-pocket costs. Innovative methods like machine learning and pharmacogenomics are being explored to improve the relevance and precision of these evaluations.

While pharmacoeconomic models offer valuable insights for healthcare decision-making, their real-world impact is limited by inconsistencies in data quality and variations in implementation standards. In India, fragmented governance, low public health spending, and a lack of coordination among stakeholders further hinder effective application. Addressing systemic challenges-such as establishing interoperable data systems, standard treatment guidelines, and equitable healthcare access-is crucial. Tailored approaches, including localized utility values and digital health initiatives, are essential to make pharmacoeconomics a practical and influential tool in policy formulation and resource allocation in India and similar settings.

Pharmacoeconomic studies evaluate clinical efficacy, adverse effects, and production costs while incorporating perspectives from patients, providers, payers, and communities. For India, unique challenges such as limited rural healthcare access, infrastructure disparities, and high out-of-pocket expenses necessitate tailored adaptations. Strategies such as integrating accessibility metrics, localized data, equity considerations, preventive care, tiered pricing, and public-private partnerships can enhance healthcare delivery. Pharmacoeconomic models are essential for improving health outcomes, ensuring equitable resource allocation, and addressing the diverse needs of India.

Argemone mexicana, commonly known as the Mexican poppy, has earned significant recognition in the traditional healing systems of the Eastern Indian region, where it has been used for centuries as a folk remedy for a variety of diseases. The study was based on search or identified through Pubmed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, etc.

Phytochemical analysis has demonstrated that the alkaloids present in A. mexicana exhibit potent antimicrobial properties, making the plant an effective natural remedy for treating infections caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses. In addition, the plant’s flavonoids and phenolic compounds are recognized for their strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, which play a crucial role in alleviating pain, reducing inflammation, and promoting tissue repair. Furthermore, A. mexicana has shown significant analgesic effects, which support its traditional use as a pain reliever. The integration of ethnobotanical knowledge with modern pharmacological research is essential for fully unlocking the therapeutic potential of A. mexicana.

Future studies must focus on comprehensive clinical trials, toxicological evaluations, and in-depth mechanistic investigations to validate the efficacy and safety of A. mexicana in human populations.

This review highlights the urgent need for further research to bridge the gap between traditional knowledge and contemporary scientific understanding. By advancing the study of A. mexicana, there is a significant opportunity to develop novel, cost-effective, and sustainable therapeutic agents that could serve as alternatives to synthetic drugs, particularly in regions where access to modern healthcare is limited.

A lung condition in which the passage of air into the lungs is obstructed, is treated using a combination pharmaceutical aerosol (Pressurised Metered dosage Inhaler) dosage form, such as Levosalbutamol Sulphate (LS) and Ipratropium Bromide (IB) pressurized inhalation, which contains 50 μg and 20 μg, respectively. Aerodynamic particle size distribution (APSD) aids in comprehending the likelihood of particle deposition in the lungs. In addition to being crucial for the efficacy and safety of medications, the respirable fraction is a significant critical quality attribute (CQA) for nasal and orally inhaled medicinal formulations.

The evaluation of in-vitro respirable fraction utilizing Next Generator Impactor (NGI) simulates drug particle deposition in the patient's lungs. The current study used a sensitive high-pressure liquid chromatography technique to assess the deposited respirable fraction through APSD from NGI, as aerodynamic properties of the delivered dosage.

The samples are subjected to NGI and analyzed on an X-bridge C18 (50 x 4.6), 3.5 mm with 35°C column oven, volume of injection 100 mL, and 0.5 mL per min flow rate using a mobile phase that is a 75:25% v/v combination of Heptane sulphonic acid sodium salt buffer and Acetonitrile in high-pressure liquid chromatography. The designed approach was validated for its anticipated function and determined the respirable fraction of the delivered dose.

The respirable fraction (fine particle dose) in μg for Levosalbutamol sulfate and Ipratropium bromide were observed 27.644 ± 1.9 and 11.045 ± 1.8, respectively. The fine particle fraction in percentage for Levosalbutamol sulfate and Ipratropium bromide were observed 55 ± 1.8 and 56 ± 1.8, respectively. There is no method reported for the determination of Levosalbutamol sulphate and Ipratropium bromide from respirable fraction.

The reliable results generated by novel combined in-vitro evaluation of LS and IB respirable fractions - correspond to lung deposition in a clinical study, which is about ≤ 5mm particle size in given doses of LS and IB inhalers.

Well-known antihypertensive medications, hydrochlorothiazide and irbesartan, are sometimes taken as a low-dose combination in a single pill.

The aim of this research is to create and verify a standard screening test for identifying process-related degradation in tablets containing irbesartan and hydrochlorothiazide. The objective of the study was to report the quality and robust method of HPLC for impurities in the mentioned drugs.

Separation was accomplished using a Kromasil L7 column (250 x 4.6 mm 5 μ). Furthermore, a 50 x 4.6 mm ghost-busting column was set up. 0.1% orthophosphoric acid was used in mobile phase A, and acetonitrile was used in mobile phase B. Infinity 1290 was used to conduct the analysis at a fixed flow rate of 1.2 mL/minute. At 220 nm, detection was carried out. The temperature in the column oven was kept at 30°C.

For eight impurities, regression analyses show a correlation coefficient value greater than 0.999. The approach was to demonstrate superior recoveries for impurities linked to hydrochlorothiazide and irbesartan (89.7-108.9%), and the limit of quantification for hydrochloro thiazide Related Compound-A is 0.248 ppm, chlorothiazide 0.251 ppm, chloro hydrochlorothiazide 0.252 ppm, irbesartan related compound-A 1.214 ppm, triphenyl methanol 1.210 ppm, IB-23 1.198 ppm, trityl methyl ether 1.204 ppm and KL-2 1.196 ppm. Here, we are first time reporting the method for simultaneous determination of eight impurities in Hydrochlorothiazide and Irbesartan combination drug with decent accuracy and precision.

The recommended method was well evaluated and can be used for routine examination of the drug impurity studies and mixtures.