An Examination of Rocuronium Bromide and Sugammadex Vial Distribution and Consumption Patterns Across Key Hospitals in the Jordanian Royal Medical Services

Abstract

The effective management of important pharmaceuticals is one of the main factors in maintaining operational preparedness and care quality of the national health care systems. The primary objective of this study was to compare the distribution patterns of rocuronium bromide and Sugammadex in three major hospitals of JRMS over four years, from 2020 to 2023, in a quantitative manner. This paper presents a quantitative, retrospective study of pharmaceutical distribution data. The source of data is the average monthly amount of distributed quantities of Rocuronium bromide vials and Sugammadex vials of the three identified JRMS hospitals obtained from the JRMS record. The analysis revealed marked variability in the distribution and consumption patterns of Rocuronium bromide and Sugammadex across the three JRMS hospitals during the 2020–2023 period. Overall, Rocuronium distribution peaked in 2020, followed by a substantial decline in 2021, reflecting the acute impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intensive care utilization and elective surgical activity, before stabilizing in 2022–2023. In contrast, Sugammadex distribution demonstrated a generally increasing and more stable trend throughout the study period, indicating progressive adoption of modern neuromuscular blockade reversal practices. Hospital-level analysis showed heterogeneous trends, with King Hussein Medical Centre exhibiting a significant increase in Sugammadex utilization and a declining Rocuronium-to-Sugammadex ratio, while the Royal Rehabilitation Centre maintained a consistently high ratio suggestive of limited uptake. Prince Rashid Ben Al-Hasan Military Hospital displayed the lowest average ratio overall, reflecting relatively greater reliance on Sugammadex despite recent cost-containment tendencies. These findings support the need for harmonized clinical guidelines, informed forecasting that accounts for pandemic-related outliers, and strategic investment in Sugammadex to balance patient safety with financial sustainability across the JRMS network.