PMID- 15598023
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20050203
LR  - 20190608
IS  - 0946-1965 (Print)
IS  - 0946-1965 (Linking)
VI  - 42
IP  - 11
DP  - 2004 Nov
TI  - Off-label use of proton pump inhibitors and P-blockers in general practices: an 
      analysis using the Disease Analyzer--mediplus patient database.
PG  - 581-8
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The off-label use of medicines is a widespread phenomenon in medical 
      practice but discussion on the legality of using drugs outside their licensed 
      indications is still ongoing. Prescription recommendations and prescribing habits 
      can differ greatly. We have used a database tool to analyze replies to a batch of 
      questions which included the question "Is the off-label use of medications 
      common?". The analysis was carried out using the Disease Analyzer--mediplus 
      patient database, which is a database tool registered in Germany. It enabled the 
      anonymous access to a representative panel of physicians and patients. More than 
      1,500 medical practices representing approximately 2.5 million patients were 
      analyzed in a cross-sectional or longitudinal manner. The Disease 
      Analyzer--mediplus database is unique in that it has direct links to individual 
      diagnoses and the corresponding therapy. RESULTS: The findings demonstrated that 
      proton pump inhibitors (PPI), which are licensed for the treatment of gastric 
      ulcer and gastric reflux, are also used off-label in gastritis. The off-label use 
      varies from 30 - 40% of prescriptions. The data indicate that the prescribing 
      behavior has been influenced by the ending of the patent protection on 
      omeprazole. A second instance which has been identified involves the beta-blocker 
      carvedilol, which is licensed for the treatment of heart failure (24% of the 
      total number of patients receiving the drug) but it was found that other 
      beta-blockers are used off-label in this indication at a rate of more than 10% of 
      prescriptions. CONCLUSION: The off-label use of drugs is high, especially in 
      gastritis and heart failure. The investigation has also confirmed that the 
      Disease Analyzer--mediplus database provides quantitative and qualitative 
      analyses combining all relevant information concerning physicians, patients, 
      diagnoses and therapy and that this information can be used to evaluate 
      prescribing habits and trends with regard to the off-label use of drugs.
FAU - Schroder-Bernhardi, D
AU  - Schroder-Bernhardi D
AD  - IMS HEALTH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
FAU - Roth, K
AU  - Roth K
FAU - Dietlein, G
AU  - Dietlein G
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Review
PL  - Germany
TA  - Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther
JT  - International journal of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
JID - 9423309
RN  - 0 (Adrenergic beta-Antagonists)
RN  - 0 (Anti-Ulcer Agents)
RN  - 0 (Proton Pump Inhibitors)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - *Adrenergic beta-Antagonists
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aged
MH  - *Anti-Ulcer Agents
MH  - Child
MH  - Databases, Factual
MH  - Drug Utilization Review/*methods
MH  - *Family Practice
MH  - Germany
MH  - Humans
MH  - *Practice Patterns, Physicians'
MH  - *Proton Pump Inhibitors
RF  - 57
EDAT- 2004/12/16 09:00
MHDA- 2005/02/04 09:00
CRDT- 2004/12/16 09:00
PHST- 2004/12/16 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2005/02/04 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2004/12/16 09:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.5414/cpp42581 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2004 Nov;42(11):581-8. doi: 10.5414/cpp42581.