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Off‐label and non‐classical prescriptions of antipsychotic agents in ordinary in‐patient practice

2004; Wiley; Volume: 109; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1600-0447.2003.00283.x

1600-0447

Corrado Barbui, Arcangelo Ciuna, Michela Nosè, Scott B. Patten, Marco Stegagno, Lorenzo Burti, Francesco Amaddeo, Michele Tansella,

Gastroesophageal reflux and treatments

Objective: To estimate the proportion of off‐label prescriptions of antipsychotics (APs) in ordinary in‐patient practice. Method: From the South‐Verona Psychiatric Case Register all admissions to the in‐patient unit during 2001–02 were extracted. Prescriptions of APs were defined off‐label when dispensed outside the licensed indications. In addition, the proportion of ‘non‐classical prescriptions’ was calculated. Results: During the 2 years surveyed AP agents were prescribed in 311 cases. Nearly 50% of second‐generation AP prescriptions were for an off‐label indication. In contrast, <15% of first‐generation AP prescriptions were for an off‐label indication. About 30% of first‐ and second‐generation agents were prescribed for a non‐classical indication. Conclusion: Approved labels for second‐generation AP agents cover a much narrower range of indications than any of the first‐generation agents, and this explains the higher proportion of off‐label prescriptions. In contrast, the everyday use of first‐ and second‐generation APs cover a similar range of clinical indications.