A Survey of Off-label and Unlicensed Antibiotic and Respiratory Medications Prescribed for Toddler Patients

Background: Many medications are unlicensed for use in toddlers and many drugs are prescribed as off-label in this age group. Different studies showed high prevalence of prescribing such medications in children. Prescribing off-labeled or unlicensed drugs can cause adverse drug events (ADEs) and har...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ali Soochi (Author), Ramin Abrishami (Author), Amir Nouroozi (Author), Dariush Taleei (Author)
Format: Book
Published: Research Center for Rational Use of Drugs (RCRUD), 2022-12-01T00:00:00Z.
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Summary:Background: Many medications are unlicensed for use in toddlers and many drugs are prescribed as off-label in this age group. Different studies showed high prevalence of prescribing such medications in children. Prescribing off-labeled or unlicensed drugs can cause adverse drug events (ADEs) and harm to the patients. To evaluate the rate of off-label and unlicensed drugs prescribed for toddlers. Methods: Out-patient prescriptions within the electronic database from a main governmental health insurance company in Tehran, Iran were evaluated for off-label and unlicensed drugs in a two-month period (November-December 2019). Results: 5358 prescriptions for toddlers reached to the insurance database, of these, 461 prescriptions were randomly selected. Three hundred and fifty prescriptions contained antibiotics and/or respiratory medications, from them, 183 (52.3%) had at least one off-labeled or unlicensed medication. Conclusion: Our study showed high rates of off-label and/or unlicensed medication use in pediatric population.
Item Description:10.18502/jpc.v10i4.11585
2322-4630
2322-4509