OBJECTIVE: To investigate how the antiobesity drugs orlistat and sibutramin are prescribed in relation to the approved indications and the Swedish subsidiary rules. METHODS: Anonymous survey to prescribers of a random sample of 2000 out of 20,000 prescription of orlistat and sibutramin. RESULTS: The response rate was around 65%. About half of the patients were not treated in accordance with the approved indications and a fourth of the patients prescribed sibutramin had one or several contraindications to the drug. The subsidiary rules were not followed in the majority of cases. CONCLUSION: Deviation from the approved indications and subsidiary criteria of orlistat and sibutramin is a question of waste of medical and economic resources. Prescribing of sibutramin to patients with contraindications is a serious health hazard.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate how the antiobesity drugs orlistat and sibutramin are prescribed in relation to the approved indications and the Swedish subsidiary rules. METHODS: Anonymous survey to prescribers of a random sample of 2000 out of 20,000 prescription of orlistat and sibutramin. RESULTS: The response rate was around 65%. About half of the patients were not treated in accordance with the approved indications and a fourth of the patients prescribed sibutramin had one or several contraindications to the drug. The subsidiary rules were not followed in the majority of cases. CONCLUSION: Deviation from the approved indications and subsidiary criteria of orlistat and sibutramin is a question of waste of medical and economic resources. Prescribing of sibutramin to patients with contraindications is a serious health hazard.
Authors: Anita K Wagner; K Arnold Chan; Inna Dashevsky; Marsha A Raebel; Susan E Andrade; Jennifer Elston Lafata; Robert L Davis; Jerry H Gurwitz; Stephen B Soumerai; Richard Platt Journal: Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf Date: 2006-06 Impact factor: 2.890
Authors: W Smalley; D Shatin; D K Wysowski; J Gurwitz; S E Andrade; M Goodman; K A Chan; R Platt; S D Schech; W A Ray Journal: JAMA Date: 2000-12-20 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: Karen E Lasser; Diane L Seger; D Tony Yu; Andrew S Karson; Julie M Fiskio; Andrew C Seger; Nidhi R Shah; Tejal K Gandhi; Jeffrey M Rothschild; David W Bates Journal: Arch Intern Med Date: 2006-02-13
Authors: Theodosios D Filippatos; Christos S Derdemezis; Irene F Gazi; Eleni S Nakou; Dimitri P Mikhailidis; Moses S Elisaf Journal: Drug Saf Date: 2008 Impact factor: 5.606