[Comparison of patterns of drug therapy in Hungary and in developed Western countries for acute coronary syndromes].

Analysis of the data of international multicentric clinical pharmacology trials disclosed that the Hungarian (and Eastern European) patients are more sick, than their western counterparts. The drug prescription habits in Hungary are close to that of international standards. The Hungarian doctors order more nitrates, anticoagulants and ACE inhibitors, but less cholesterol-lowering medication than in other countries. The door-to-needle time in Hungarian patients scheduled for thrombolysis was shorter than the mean. The high price of certain thrombolytic medications prevents Hungarian hospital's doctors to use optimal thrombolytic therapy. The high price of statins in Hungary relative to that of other medications for secondary prevention and to the average per capita income is one of the possible causes that this class of medication is used less frequently in Hungary than in Western Europe. This fact may prevent the decrease of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality on the long-term.