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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B. Present Organisational responsibility <strong>for</strong> the <strong>ATC</strong>/<strong>DDD</strong><br />
system<br />
1. WHO Collaborating Centre <strong>for</strong> Drug Statistics Methodology<br />
In 1981, the WHO Regional Office <strong>for</strong> Europe recommended the <strong>ATC</strong>/<strong>DDD</strong><br />
system <strong>for</strong> international drug utilization studies. In connection with this, <strong>and</strong> to<br />
make the methodology more widely used, there was a need <strong>for</strong> a central body<br />
responsible <strong>for</strong> coordinating the use of the methodology. The WHO Collaborating<br />
Centre <strong>for</strong> Drug Statistics Methodology was accordingly established in Oslo in<br />
1982. The Centre was until 2001 situated at the Norwegian Medicinal Depot<br />
(NMD). From January 2002 the Centre has been located at the Norwegian Institute<br />
of Public Health. The Centre is funded by the Norwegian government.<br />
In 1996, WHO recognized the need to develop use of the <strong>ATC</strong>/<strong>DDD</strong> system as an<br />
international st<strong>and</strong>ard <strong>for</strong> drug utilization studies. The Centre was there<strong>for</strong>e linked<br />
directly to WHO Headquarters in Geneva instead of the WHO Regional Office <strong>for</strong><br />
Europe in Copenhagen. This was seen as important to allow close integration of<br />
international drug utilization studies <strong>and</strong> WHO’s initiatives to achieve universal<br />
access to needed drugs <strong>and</strong> rational use of drugs particularly in developing<br />
countries. Access to st<strong>and</strong>ardised <strong>and</strong> validated in<strong>for</strong>mation on drug use is essential<br />
to allow audit of patterns of drug utilization, identification of problems, educational<br />
or other interventions <strong>and</strong> monitoring of the outcomes of the interventions.<br />
An Agreement was drawn up by WHO with the Government of Norway in 1996<br />
<strong>and</strong> revised in 2002. The latest redesignation of the Department of<br />
Pharmacoepidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, as a WHO<br />
Collaborating Centre <strong>for</strong> Drug Statistics Methodology, was in May 2008.<br />
According to this Agreement all activities related to <strong>ATC</strong>/<strong>DDD</strong> <strong>classification</strong> have<br />
to be conducted in accordance with policies determined by WHO.<br />
The main activities of the Centre are development <strong>and</strong> maintenance of the<br />
<strong>ATC</strong>/<strong>DDD</strong> system, including:<br />
- To classify drugs according to the <strong>ATC</strong> system.<br />
- To establish <strong>DDD</strong>s <strong>for</strong> drugs which have been assigned an <strong>ATC</strong> code.<br />
- To review <strong>and</strong> revise as necessary the <strong>ATC</strong> <strong>classification</strong> system <strong>and</strong> <strong>DDD</strong>s.<br />
- To stimulate <strong>and</strong> influence the practical use of the <strong>ATC</strong> system by cooperating<br />
with researchers in the drug utilization field.<br />
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