Abstract:Background: Non-communicable diseases are a growing burden in many African countries; cardiovascular disease is prevalent.Antihypertensive medicines (AHM) are a common treatment option but we know lit...Background: Non-communicable diseases are a growing burden in many African countries; cardiovascular disease is prevalent.Antihypertensive medicines (AHM) are a common treatment option but we know little about community use.Objective: To describe AHM use in Ghana and Nigeria using a novel data source.Methods: We used data from mPharma -a health and pharmaceutical company who distributes pharmaceuticals to hospital and retail pharmacies.We extracted data using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification codes and calculated use in defined daily doses and explored patterns by class, medicines, dose, and originator or generic product.Results: AHM use differed between Ghana and Nigeria.The most commonly used classes in Ghana were angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) followed by calcium channel blockers (CCB) and angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACEi).The five most commonly used products were 16 mg candesartan, 30 mg nifedipine, 10 mg lisinopril, 5 mg amlodipine, and 50 mg losartan.In Nigeria ARB, CCB and diuretics were widely used; the top five products were 50 mg losartan, 10 mg lisinopril, 30 mg nifedipine, 40 mg furosemide, and 5 mg amlodipine.More originator products were used in Ghana than Nigeria. Conclusion:The differences between Ghana and Nigeria may result from a combination of medical, contextual and policy evidence and reflect factors related to clinical guidance (e.g., standard treatment guidelines), accessibility to prescribers and the role of community pharmacies, and structure of the health system and universal health coverage including funding for medicines.We show the feasibility of using novel data sources to gain insights on medicines use in the community.Read More