Anatomical Therapeutic

The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes the use of an Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system for the collection and analysis of data on drug use. This was originally developed by Scandinavian authorities, and uses a combination of anatomical, therapeutic and chemical criteria to assign drugs to an individual class. The top-level categories, which are anatomically based, are listed in Table 3.2. 

ATC therapeutic group based on the World Health Organisation Nordic Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification Index (ATC) codes. 

Table 13.1. Link between Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) code and ICD-9-CM...

Figure 1.6 Number of antibiotic prescriptions per 1000 inhabitants per antibiotic anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) classification in 13 European countries in 1997. In parentheses are the ATCs used by the WHO. Tet = tetracyclines, Pen = penicillin, Ex-Pen = extended-spectrum penicillins, B-Lac = (3-lactamase-sensitive penicillins. Cep = cephalosporins, TMP = trimethoprim (alone or in combination), Mac + Lin = macrolides and lincosamides, Mac = macrolides, Lin = lincosamides. Ami = aminoglycosides, and Qui = quinolone. The 13 countries are SP = Spain, GR = Greece, BG = Belgium, PR = Prance, PL = Portugal, IT = Italy, PI = Pinland, UK = United Kingdom, DE = Denmark, AU = Austria, GE = Germany, SW = Switzerland, and NL = Netherlands. (Based on data from Molstad et al., 2002.)...

HAN = British Approved Name s DCF Denomination Commune Franyaise USAN United States Adopted Name 7 CAS Chemical Abstracts Sendee 3- ATC = Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical (Classification of Drugs)... 

The ATC Classification System developed by the Nordic coimtries and widely used in Europe meets most classification requirements. Drugs are classified according to their Anatomical, Therapeutic and Chemical characteristics into five levels of specificity, the fifth being that for the single chemical substance. 

The therapeutic area is defused as being the third ATC (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Code) classification level. 

This cumulative list is pubhshed now only as a CD-ROM which contains the list in a PDF format and a searchable database (by INN name (all or part), list number, CAS, alternate names, Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification, etc. ..). 

The PDF version of the EMEA s Community Register lacks links to EPARs, but does include brand and nonproprietary names for each product, company and country of origin, anatomic/therapeutic classification codes, and indication keywords. It also contains presentation details (dosage form, strength), dates of application validation and opinion by the CHMP, and elapsed time (number of days) spent in review. 

The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification that is used here is recommended by WHO and is used in several European countries. 

In the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system, the drugs are divided into different groups according to their site of action and therapeutic and chemical characteristics. 

In practise the most powerful and useful system developed so far is a compromise between the methods, known as the anatomical therapeutic-chemical system (ATC). The system divides products into 13 general groups (Table 2.5) according to the body system on which they act A, alimentary system B, blood and blood-forming organs, and so on. This is the usually followed by the name of the disease they cure and finally by a description of the chemical classes involved. 

Therapeutic Categories Projects have been classified according to their targets in terms of likely therapeutic markets. We adopted the ATC (Anatomic Therapeutic Classification) at the 3rd digit level. For example, HIV-antiviral correspond to the ATC3 class JSC. 

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