Exploring UK attitudes towards unlicensed medicines use: a questionnaire-based study of members of the general public and physicians

Assessment of the medicines use pattern among the general public in the state of Penang, Malaysia

Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research ◽

10.1002/jppr.1239 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 (4) ◽

pp. 269-276

Author(s):

Omar Thanoon Dawood ◽

Mohamed Azmi Hassali ◽

Fahad Saleem ◽

Hisham Aljadhey

Keyword(s):

General Public ◽

The State ◽

Medicines Use ◽

Use Pattern

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A study of off-label and unlicensed medicines use in neonatal units

Macedonian Pharmaceutical Bulletin ◽

10.33320/maced.pharm.bull.2016.62.02.008 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 62 (2) ◽

pp. 65-72

Author(s):

Elizabeta Zisovska ◽

Blerina Koshi ◽

Renata Slaveska-Raichki

Keyword(s):

Off Label Use ◽

Medicine Use ◽

Off Label ◽

Unlicensed Medicines ◽

Gynecology And Obstetrics ◽

Life Saving ◽

Medicines Use ◽

High Level ◽

Evidence Based Guidelines ◽

Label Use

Despite all efforts to improve the on-label use of licensed medicines for neonates, there is still high percentage and demands of offlabel and unlicensed medicines use in neonatal therapy. Therefore, the general objective of this survey is to provide a description of off-label and unlicensed medicines use within the neonatal therapeutic areas in a Department of Neonatology, University Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics, in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. All analyzed prescriptions were given in accordance with the Evidence Based Guidelines applied in the Department. During the three months’ period in 2015, there were given 1595 prescriptions, comprising 3.99 prescriptions per newborn during the hospital stay. Out of them, 532 (33.3%) were on-label medicine uses, 1052 (66%) were off-label medicines, and 11 prescriptions (0.7%) were unlicensed medicines. The results from this study show the high level of off-label medicine use in neonatal therapy. These results present only the “top of the iceberg” and require more comprehensive analysis that will gradually evolve in a National Guideline on off-label use areas in pediatric medicine, especially for critically ill newborns who are prescribed much more life-saving medicines.

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