A COMPARISON OF SYSTEMIC PEDIATRIC FLUOROQUINOLONE USE IN SOUTH KOREA
Author(s)
Kwon MJ1, KIM SE1, Song SY2, Kim E3
1Department of Pharmaceutical Industry Management, The Graduate School, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South), 2Chung-Ang University College of Pharmacy, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South), 3Evidence-Based Research and Clinical Research Lab., Department of Health, Social and Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South)
OBJECTIVES: The age restriction of fluoroquinolone use in South Korea was implemented in December 2009. This study aims to quantify nationwide fluoroquinolone use in pediatric patients and to assess the effect both continuous and immediate fluoroquinolone use in children and adolescents. METHODS: The Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data was obtained to analyze fluoroquinolone prescribing practice in pediatric patients younger than 18 years. The time periods were separated: Pre-drug utilization review: 2007 to 2009, Post-drug utilization review: 2010 to 2015. We analyzed the annual prescription rate of fluoroquinolone per 100,000 person-years. In order to predict the prescription pattern if an age restriction had not occurred, an autoregressive model was selected. RESULTS: The systemic fluoroquinolone was administered to the children during the study period. The 297,054 children of the total 505,859 received ciprofloxacin and the other 208,805 received levofloxacin during the study period. After age restriction, the mean annual ciprofloxacin prescription rate decreased from 840 to 21 per 100,000 person-years (relative reduction: 97.5%) and levofloxacin prescription rate decreased from 598 to 11 per 100,000 person-years (relative reduction: 98.2%). The prescription in the outpatient setting decreased more substantially than in the inpatient setting for both drugs. While the proportion of fluoroquinolone use increased at other medical facilities, hospital, general hospital and tertiary hospital, those used at clinics declined significantly after regulatory action. CONCLUSIONS: Regulatory measure under the national drug utilization review program was effective in controlling the inappropriate and excessive use of fluoroquinolone in children. The Age restriction made an immediate and huge decrease in fluoroquinolone prescriptions guiding to more sensible and selective prescription behavior. Similar regulatory interventions to control the inappropriate and excessive use of certain medicines could be tried in other countries, states or institutions.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2017-11, ISPOR Europe 2017, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Vol. 20, No. 9 (October 2017)
Code
PHP276
Topic
Health Service Delivery & Process of Care
Topic Subcategory
Prescribing Behavior
Disease
Multiple Diseases