RESUMO
BACKGROUND: proton pump inhibitors (PPI) have been widely used in the clinic but inappropriate prescribing has also increased dramatically. OBJECTIVE: to describe the prescribing patterns and assess the appropriateness of the prescribed PPI use in 45 hospitals in China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PPI prescriptions for non-hospitalized patients were collected from hospitals in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Hangzhou of China over a 40-day period in 2016. These data were analyzed using the prescription number, proportion and economic indicators (defined daily dose system [DDD], defined daily cost [DDC] and drug utilization index [DUI]). The evaluation criteria of PPI use was based on Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference, New Materia Medica and drug instructions. RESULTS: in total, 357,687 prescriptions using oral PPI and 38,216 prescriptions using injectable PPI were assessed. The average age of PPI users was 53 years. The most commonly used oral PPI was rabeprazole, while the most common injectable PPI was pantoprazole. The DDD of oral rabeprazole and DDC of injectable rabeprazole were the highest. Meanwhile, only the DUI values of oral rabeprazole, lansoprazole and ilaprazole were less than 1.0. The clinical diagnosis of some users included well identified risky comorbidities such as kidney disease (2.9%). Furthermore, between 32.6% and 56.8% of the PPI prescriptions were used for inappropriate indications. CONCLUSION: this survey demonstrated that PPI use was accompanied by unapproved indications and excessive dosages. Comprehensive measures are urgently needed to improve PPI use and reduce unnecessary drug costs.