Term: Dose Intensity
Last Updated: 2006-10-19
Dose intensity, measured using Defined Daily Dose (DDD) and Prescribed Daily Dose (PDD), can be used in several ways, the primary one being to describe the population's use of pharmaceuticals. The PDD is a measure of the average daily amount of a drug that is actually prescribed while the DDD is a measure of assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used as a main indication for adults. The DDD is used as a measure of "therapeutic intensity" while the PDD is most often used in studies of particular drugs and in pharmacoepidemiologic studies that examine dose/response issues.