Guidelines for ATC classification and DDD assignment ... - WHOCC
Guidelines for ATC classification and DDD assignment ... - WHOCC
Guidelines for ATC classification and DDD assignment ... - WHOCC
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It is open to anyone with a legitimate interest in the Anatomical TherapeuticChemical (<strong>ATC</strong>) <strong>classification</strong> system <strong>and</strong> Defined Daily Dose (<strong>DDD</strong>) <strong>assignment</strong>.This includes regulatory authorities, the pharmaceutical industry, academia <strong>and</strong>non-governmental organisations.It provides an opportunity <strong>for</strong> these persons to present additional in<strong>for</strong>mation to theexperts to assist them in their decision making.It provides an opportunity <strong>for</strong> the international experts of the Working Group toexchange ideas <strong>and</strong> opinions with interested parties.It is not intended to be used as a mechanism to challenge the decision of theWorking Group. The procedures <strong>for</strong> applying <strong>for</strong> <strong>and</strong> commenting on an <strong>ATC</strong><strong>classification</strong> or a <strong>DDD</strong> <strong>assignment</strong> are outlined in these <strong>Guidelines</strong> (see section V).Interested parties are requested to register <strong>for</strong> this session to WHO Headquarter atleast 14 days in advance of the meeting <strong>and</strong> are requested to provide a relevantreason <strong>for</strong> attending. WHO Headquarter will restrict the time allowed <strong>for</strong> eachpresentation in order to keep the duration of the open session within 1.5 hours.In<strong>for</strong>mation on these meetings will be made available on the WHO website atwww.who.int/medicines.C. The purpose of the <strong>ATC</strong>/<strong>DDD</strong> systemThe purpose of the <strong>ATC</strong>/<strong>DDD</strong> system is to serve as a tool <strong>for</strong> drug utilizationresearch in order to improve quality of drug use. One component of this is thepresentation <strong>and</strong> comparison of drug consumption statistics at international <strong>and</strong>other levels.A major aim of the Centre <strong>and</strong> Working Group is to maintain stable <strong>ATC</strong> codes <strong>and</strong><strong>DDD</strong>s over time to allow trends in drug consumption to be studied without thecomplication of frequent changes to the system. There is a strong reluctance tomake changes to <strong>classification</strong>s or <strong>DDD</strong>s where such changes are requested <strong>for</strong>reasons not directly related to drug consumption studies. For this reason the<strong>ATC</strong>/<strong>DDD</strong> system by itself is not suitable <strong>for</strong> guiding decisions aboutreimbursement, pricing <strong>and</strong> therapeutic substitution.The <strong>classification</strong> of a substance in the <strong>ATC</strong>/<strong>DDD</strong> system is not arecommendation <strong>for</strong> use, nor does it imply any judgements about efficacy orrelative efficacy of drugs <strong>and</strong> groups of drugs.14
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