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- Title
Usage patterns of 'over-the-counter' vs. prescription-strength nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in France.
- Authors
Duong, Mai; Salvo, Francesco; Pariente, Antoine; Abouelfath, Abdelilah; Lassalle, Regis; Droz, Cecile; Blin, Patrick; Moore, Nicholas
- Abstract
Aims Most risks of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs) are pharmacological, dose and duration dependent. Usage patterns of prescription-only ( POM) or 'over-the-counter ( OTC)' NSAIDs may influence risks, but are not commonly described. Methods The Echantillon Généraliste de Bénéficiaires database, the permanent 1/97 representative sample from the French national healthcare insurance systems, was queried over 2009-2010 to identify usage patterns, concomitant chronic diseases and cardiovascular medication in OTC and POM NSAID users. Results Over 2 years, 229 477 of 526 108 patients had at least one NSAID dispensation; 44 484 patients (19%) were dispensed only OTC NSAIDs (93% ibuprofen) and 121 208 (53%) only POM NSAIDs. The OTC users were younger (39.9 vs. 47.4 years old) and more often female (57 vs. 53%); 69% of OTC users and 49% of POM users had only one dispensation. A mean of 14.6 defined daily doses ( DDD) were dispensed over 2 years for OTC vs. 53 for POM; 93% OTC vs. 60% POM patients bought ≤ 30 DDD over 2 years, and 1.5 vs. 12% bought ≥ 90 DDD. Chronic comorbidities were found in 19% of OTC users vs. 28% of POM users; 24 vs. 37% had at least one dispensation of a cardiovascular drug over the 2 years. Conclusions Most of the use of NSAIDs appears to be short term, especially for OTC-type NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen. The validity of risk estimates for NSAIDs extrapolated from clinical trials or from observational studies not including OTC-type usage may need to be revised.
- Subjects
FRANCE; ANALGESICS; NONSTEROIDAL anti-inflammatory agents; IBUPROFEN; CHRONIC diseases
- Publication
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2014, Vol 77, Issue 5, p887
- ISSN
0306-5251
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/bcp.12239