What is ATX? Classification of medicinal products
The task of each doctor is not only to assessthe patient's condition and on the basis of the symptoms establish a correct diagnosis, but also correctly identify a medication that will help cope with the disease that has arisen. To quickly find the right drug, an international standard for the methodology of all known medications - ATC (ATC) - was created. Classification of medicines at the international level sounds like "Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System". The system is established by the World Health Organization.
Purpose of the system
The main purpose of the system is to improve the qualitydrug treatment and its availability in different countries. For this purpose, statistics are kept all over the world about the features of drug consumption, and all research data are accumulated in the ATC system. The classification of medicines is based on the separation of medicines according to their active component. All drugs with one active substance and a similar therapeutic effect are assigned one accessory code.
A medication can have several codes ifhas different forms of release with different concentrations of the active component. All medicines are divided into groups, which are defined in the code with alphabetic designations and Arabic numerals. This allows the code specialists to determine the accessory and therapeutic effect of any medication registered in the system. The classification of medicines (ATC) provides one code for a single medicinal product, even if there are equally important indications. The decision on which indication should be considered the main one is made by the WHO working group.
Criteria for inclusion in the system
Manufacturers, researchinstitutions and agencies for the control of medicines apply for the introduction of data on the drug. Then follows the procedure for introducing a new article into the system. Not all drugs are included in the ATH. The classification of medicinal products does not contain data on combined preparations, except for substances with a fixed combination of active components, such as b-adrenoreceptor blockers and diuretics. Also, the system does not include auxiliary folk medicine and drugs that have not been licensed.
Caveats
Classification of medicines (ATC) can not be considered as a recommendation to use or evaluate the effectiveness of a drug. Medicamental treatment should appoint a specialist.
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