Evidence of off-label inhalation therapy on pediatric asthma practice in Japan.
Pediatr Int
; 65(1): e15595, 2023.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37515377
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In Japan, many asthma inhalers do not have formal approval for use in the pediatric population because of the lack of domestic data. In real-world settings, however, numerous off-label medications are prescribed. Currently, the nature of off-label prescriptions of asthma inhalers on pediatric patients in Japan remains unclear.METHODS:
Using public open-source national medical claims data, we investigated the real-world descriptive epidemiology of off-label prescriptions for asthma inhalers for pediatric patients. We obtained the number of off-label prescriptions of formulations for patients aged 0-14 years from anonymously summarized prescription data for a 7-year period starting from April 2014. The actual prescription numbers and their chronology over time were then analyzed.RESULTS:
In 2019, 143,439 asthma inhalers were used off label in children and adolescents. Overall, 96.1% were inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) or long-acting beta stimulants (LABAs), and 3.9% were high-dose ICS. Of ICSs and LABAs, 18.8% were off-label prescriptions. The total number of off-label ICS/LABA prescriptions and their percentage relative to the overall formulations gradually decreased but a notable disparity was observed among inhaler types.CONCLUSIONS:
There was a surprisingly large number of off-label prescriptions of asthma inhalers in the pediatric population in Japan. The proper use of ICSs/LABAs and expansion of insurance coverage should be advocated to reduce off-label use.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Asma
/
Antiasmáticos
/
Estimulantes del Sistema Nervioso Central
Límite:
Adolescent
/
Child
/
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Pediatr Int
Asunto de la revista:
PEDIATRIA
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Japón