New ATC Codes and DDDs for 2018
Posted in News
At the end of 2017 The World Health Organization released the new and updated Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) codes and Defined Daily Doses for 2018.
Our pick of the updates are:
- An update to the defined daily dose (DDD) for methotrexate used in rheumatology and other auto-immune diseases. Until this release of the ATC codes the only defined daily dose for methotrexate had been that for oral methotrexate – but a new defined daily dose of 2.5mg (parenteral) has been introduced so it is now possible to determine the usage of parenteral methotrexate in the rheumatology and similar conditions by DDD.
- Cyclizine also has a revised parenteral defined daily dose of 0.1g and this change will affect the number of defined daily doses in the report on antiemetic substitution.
- In respect of ATC codes, ceftazidime with avibactam had been included in the ATC codes for ceftazidime combinations, but a new code has been created for ceftazidime with a beta lactamase inhibitor (J01DD52).
- A new third-level ATC code for antivirals for treatment of hepatitis C infection has been added (J05AP) and the individual drugs and combination have been moved to this new position in the hierarchy.