Drug related problems and off-label drug treatment in children as seen at a drug information centre

Systematic review of the prevalence and nature of drug‐related problems in paediatric patients

What is known and objective

Methods

Results

What is new and conclusion

Status of Medications Prescribed for Psychiatric Disorders in Korean Pediatric and Adolescent Patients

While mental health services for children are increasing, few psychiatric drugs have been approved for such use. We analyzed claim data from 19,557 South Korean pediatric and adolescent patients (<20 years) who were diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or a tic disorder. Among these diseases, depressive episodes were the most common, followed by an anxiety disorder, ADHD, bipolar disorder, tic disorder, and schizophrenia. For each disease, prescriptions were categorized as full-label (approved indication with pediatric dosing in the package insert (PI)), partial-label (approved indication without pediatric dosing in the PI), and contraindication (contraindicated for the specific pediatric age in the PI). For schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder, more than 50% of the patients were prescribed partial-labeled medications. Additionally, more than 5% of patients with major depressive disorder were prescribed medications that were contraindicated for their age group. Our findings reveal that children with full-labeled psychiatric conditions are commonly administered drugs that are not explicitly approved for either their disease state or age, including off-label and unlicensed drugs. To use pharmaceuticals more safely, expanding drug indications using real-world data are needed.

"Childrens are not just "little adults". The rate of medication related problems and its predictors among patients admitted to pediatric ward of southwestern Ethiopian hospital: A prospective observational study

Background

The rate of medication related problems is high in developing countries due to the complexity of pediatrics medication management. Pediatric population should have their own dosage regimens. The pediatric dosage regimens were derived from the adult dose that might lead to sudden reach of sub or supra-therapeutic doses. As the result, the medication therapy management is difficult in this populations. Despite this, a scanty of studies were conducted on medication related problems among pediatric populations. Therefore, this study examined the prevalence and risk factors for the occurrence of the medication related problems among patients admitted to pediatric ward of Mettu karl referral hospital.

Patients and methods

The pediatric population who were received the pharmacotherapy for their disease was observed and followed for the occurrences of medication related problems at pediatric wards of Mettu karl referral hospital from February 12, 2020 to February 24, 2021. Patients whose age was less than or equal to 18 years and who were on drug therapy or who needs drug therapy during study period were included. The possibility of adverse drug reactions developed from the drug was assessed by using the Naranjo scale. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of medication related problems.

Result

Over the study period, a total of 189 pediatric populations were included. Among these, 115 (60.8%) were males, and the mean age of the patients was 1.4339 ± 0.864 years. The mediciation related problems was found among 121(64.01%) of pediatric patients. Among seven types of drug therapy problems unnecessary drug therapy, need additional drug therapy, ineffective drug therapy and dose too high were the most predominantly occured DRP that accounted 74 (27.72%), 67 (25.09%), 43 (16.10%), 36 (13.48%), respectively. The mean number of hospital stay was 4.29 days with minimum and maximum stay of 2 and 9 days and antibiotics 364(51.3%) were the most common class of drugs that was associated with drug related problems. Being a neonate (AOR = 1.48, 95CI%: 1.69–7.42, P = <0.001), hospital stay greater than or equal to seven days (AOR = 1.98, 95CI%: 2.471–12.644, P = 0.016), and the presence of co-morbidity(AOR = 2.507, 95CI%: 3.270–4.949, P = 0.080) were the predictors of the medication related problems.

Conclusion

The prevalence of medication-related problems in pediatrics patient was found to be high. Being neonatal, prolonged hospital stay and the presence of a multiple disease were the predictors of medication-related problems in pediatric patients. Therefore special attention should be given for newborns, prolonged hospital stay and patients having co-morbidity. Besides this, the drug information service and the patients round activity should be started by clinical pharmacist to decrease the occurences of any preventable medication related problems.

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DRP is the problem that interferes with a patient's pharmacotherapy that results in poor treatment outcomes.

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The rate of medication related problems in developing countries is high.

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“Children are not just “little adults” in which they should have their own pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics profile.

In situ coating makes it easier for children to swallow and tolerate tablets and capsules

AIM

Getting children to swallow tablets and capsules is a challenge, and factors that influence their ability to swallow include taste, smell and texture. The aim of this study was to explore how well paediatric patients tolerated and accepted the MedCoat(®) in situ coating for tablets and capsules.

METHODS

A nonrandomised intervention study was performed at the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden. We identified 78 paediatric patients, 43 females and 35 males, who had problems swallowing tablets and capsules and evaluated their abilities with questionnaires. The median age of the patients was nine years old, and the range was two to 17 years old.

RESULTS

Swallowing ability and palatability was improved by in situ coating. The results showed that 66 of 77 paediatric patients (86%, 95% confidence interval: 76-93%) were able to take the drugs they had been prescribed after in situ coating. Swallowing improved in 87% of cases, and palatability improved in 85% of cases.

CONCLUSION

A study of 77 paediatric patients with a median age of nine years, and a range of two to 17 years, found that 86% were able to take the tablets and capsules they had been prescribed after they were coated with the MedCoat.

Off-label and unlicensed paediatric prescribing in a community setting: a prospective longitudinal cohort study in Malta

BACKGROUND

In children, the incidence of off-label prescriptions in primary care varies between 10.5% and 22.7%, whilst the incidence of unlicensed prescriptions in primary care varies between 0.3% and 16.6%. This information has not been investigated in Malta.

OBJECTIVE

To identify therapeutic areas which warrant research in children in the community setting in Malta according to the proportion and nature of off-label and unlicensed medicinal use.

METHODS

Interim analysis involving the assessment of prescriptions for children in a prospective pharmaco-epidemiological study. Data regarding prescriptions in 37 private clinics and pharmacies attended by paediatricians and family doctors were collected for a cohort of 209 patients aged 0-14 years. The medicines were categorised as licensed, unlicensed or off-label. They were also classified into various categories such as patient age-group, data collection period, prescriber type and Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system.

RESULTS

113 of 209 (54.1%) medicinal products were used in an off-label and unlicensed manner, the highest number being in the 2-11-years age range (76/209). The majority of drugs were for the respiratory system. The proportion off-label drug prescribing because of age decreased progressively with increasing age whilst the proportion off-label prescribing because of dose increased with age.

CONCLUSION

The main cause of off-label prescribing appears to be a failure to adhere to licensed dose recommendations and a lack of agreement between the existing literature and drug licences.

Challenges in conducting clinical trials in children: approaches for improving performance

Recent legislative changes in both Europe and the USA have increased the responsibility of drug developers to purposefully study the agents they market in children so that specific dosing recommendations can be made to assist clinicians in their use. Typically, clinicians use empiricalor experiential-based rationales for selecting the dose to use in children, generally in a manner that attempts to achieve the same dose-exposure or pharmacokinetic profile in children as in adults. However, whether this approach achieves the necessary dose exposure or exposure effect needed may not be systematically explored during off-label use. This creates the opportunity for under- or over-exposure in children, particularly in very young children (i.e., less than 2 years old) where a combination of factors during development can effect both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The ethical, physiological and statistical differences of studying new therapeutic agents in children present economic challenges that may create unintended incentives - both positive and negative - for any individual developer who tries to meet the requirements of new legislation to study pharmaceutical agents in children. There should be a continued emphasis in academic clinical pharmacology programs towards creative methods and approaches to better understand these differences in children compared with adults. The ability to use information from knowledge obtained from adult studies, from preclinical studies, from studies of compounds with similar chemistry or pharmacology, or from known physiological differences between children and adults is essential to choosing a suitable dose for children and achieving these regulatory aims.

Quality use of an unlicensed medicine and off label use of a medicine

This paper gives an overview of the concept and process of quality use of unlicensed medicines and off label use of medicines, with special attention on the professional roles and responsibilities of prescribers and pharmacists. It also focuses on the policy requirements, sets of guidelines, recommendations, best practices, and other aspects addressed under this topic that represent the state of update knowledge. As a complex and specific issue, the use of an unlicensed medicine and off label prescribed medicine in different health care levels is of particular importance for the healthcare settings in the Republic of Macedonia since, the existing regulatory structure requires adoption and development of a comprehensive strategy relating to this topic in the near future with an aim of encouraging and supporting the development and maintenance of a sound health system with high standards of medication-use policies.

Drug-related problem in children with chronic kidney disease

Drug therapies in the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are complex and specialised and have a high potential for drug-related problem (DRP). In adult CKD populations, the identification and resolution of DRP has been shown to have beneficial effects on disease management, adherence and knowledge of treatment, patient's quality of life, hospitalisation rate and length of stay and cost to the healthcare system. The focus of this article is the review of published studies on DRP in children with CKD. There is a lack of information on the epidemiology of DRP in this patient group, and research in this area is therefore needed to better understand and manage DRP in children with CKD.

Parental reporting of adverse drug events and other drug-related problems in children in Finland

PURPOSE

Drug-related problems (DRPs) are common in paediatric pharmacotherapy, but few studies describe them from the parents' perspective. In the present survey, we have investigated the lifetime prevalence and type of DRPs in children in Finland.

METHODS

This was a population-based survey of a random sample of 6,000 children below 12 years of age in 2007. A questionnaire was sent to their parents. The final response rate was 67% with a study population of 4,032. The main outcome measure was the lifetime prevalence and type of DRPs.

RESULTS

The lifetime prevalence of DRPs was 21% (95% CI 20-22). The most common (82%) of the 1,346 reported DRPs were adverse drug events (ADEs). The prevalence of ADEs was 17% (95% CI 16-19), that of other DRPs 5.2% (95% CI 4.5-5.9). The prevalence of serious ADEs was 0.4% and that of unexpected ADEs was 0.8%. The most common system involved in the ADEs was the gastrointestinal tract, comprising 34% of the 1,106 ADEs. The most common of the 240 other DRPs were problems with the administration and dosing of medicine (86%). Overall, 64% of DRPs were related to anti-infectives.

CONCLUSIONS

One fifth of the Finnish children below 12 years of age had experienced DRPs. Appropriate counselling, including possible adverse drug reactions and dosing directions, is important for parents and children at both the prescribing and dispensing of medicines for paediatric patients. Reporting of any suspected serious or unexpected ADEs is an essential part of efficient pharmacovigilance in paediatrics.

Paediatric drug use with focus on off-label prescriptions at Swedish hospitals - a nationwide study

AIM

To perform a nationwide investigation of paediatric drug use at Swedish hospitals, including an analysis of off-label drug use.

METHODS

All paediatric hospitals in Sweden were invited to register all prescriptions to children, aged between 0 and 18, during two separate 2-day-periods in 2008. Data were reported and analysed with respect to licence status and proportion of and reasons for off-label drug use.

RESULTS

Data on 11,294 prescriptions to 2947 paediatric patients were received. Drugs associated with pain relief, infection, prematurity, nutrition and surgery or anaesthesia were most commonly used. Paracetamol was the most frequently used drug on-label and also among the most commonly used off-label drugs. Nearly half (49%) of all administered prescriptions concerned unlicensed drugs, off-label drugs or extemporaneously prepared drugs. The corresponding rate among neonates was 69%. Lack of paediatric information in the Summary of Product Characteristics was the main reason for off-label classification.

CONCLUSIONS

Paediatric off-label drug use is common at Swedish hospitals, and nearly half of all prescriptions were not documented for use in children. The findings emphasize a need for paediatric clinical studies as well as compilation of existing clinical experience and scattered evidence, particularly for drug treatment in infants and neonates.

Monitoring the safety of medicines used off-label

Off-label use of medicines is common. Because many off-label uses have not been carefully studied, it is important that postmarketing drug safety systems be able to identify, assess, and monitor adverse events that occur in the off-label setting. The full range of postmarketing surveillance and analysis tools can be utilized to study the adverse effects of medicines used off-label.

Postmarketing surveillance

Postmarketing drug surveillance refers to the monitoring of drugs once they reach the market after clinical trials. It evaluates drugs taken by individuals under a wide range of circumstances over an extended period of time. Such surveillance is much more likely to detect previously unrecognized positive or negative effects that may be associated with a drug. The majority of postmarketing surveillance concern adverse drug reactions (ADRs) monitoring and evaluation. Other important postmarketing surveillance components include unapproved or off-label drug use, problems with orphan drugs, and lack of paediatric formulations, as well as issues concerning international clinical trials in paediatric population. The process of evaluating and improving the safety of medicines used in paediatric practice is referred to as paediatric pharmacovigilance. It requires special attention. Childhood diseases and disorders may be qualitatively and quantitatively different from their adult equivalents. This may affect either benefit or risk of therapies (or both), with a resulting impact on the risk/benefit balance. In addition, chronic conditions may require chronic treatment and susceptibility to ADRs may change throughout the patient's lifetime according to age and stage of growth and development. Therefore, paediatric pharmacovigillance aspects need to be tailored to a number of variables based on heterogeneity of paediatric population. This chapter will summarize and discuss the key issues.

Off-label and unlicensed medication use and associated adverse drug events in a pediatric emergency department

OBJECTIVES

The study objectives were to (1) determine the types and frequency of off-label (OL) or unlicensed (UL) medications used in a pediatric emergency department (PED) and before admission, (2) describe OL/UL-associated adverse drug events (ADEs) resulting in admission to the PED and those occurring during patient care in PED, and (3) determine the outcomes of these ADEs.

METHODS

Medical records of patients 18 years or younger admitted to the PED over a 5-month period were reviewed. Off-label/UL use of medications was determined based on Food and Drug Administration-approved labeling. The Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale was used to determine ADE causality. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

A total of 2191 patients with 6675 medication orders were evaluated. About 26.2% (n = 1712) of medication orders were considered as OL/ UL use; 70.5% (n = 1208) of these medications were ordered as part of treatment in the PED, and the remaining 29.5% (n = 504) were home medications before their PED evaluation. Inhaled bronchodilators (30.4%), antimicrobials (14.8%), and antihistamines/antiemetics (9.1%) were the most common OL/UL medication classes. The frequency of ADEs among licensed medication use was greater compared with OL/UL use by 2-fold. Reported overall rate of ADEs was 0.6% (n = 40). Of these 40 ADEs, 5 resulted from the use of an OL/UL medication, 3 from home medication use, and 2 from PED-prescribed medications.

CONCLUSIONS

The frequency of reported ADEs associated with OL/UL medications was less than the frequency of ADEs from licensed medication use, with overall ADE frequency of less than 1%.

Predictors of safety-related enquiries about psychotropic medication in young people and families accessing a medicines information service

BACKGROUND

Many consumers express concerns about the safety of psychotropic medication for young people. Despite the increased use of psychotropic medication in children and adolescents, few studies have examined information needs of this group and predictors of safety-related concerns.

METHODS

This study was conducted within a national, consumer-based medicines information service. Between September, 2002, and December, 2005, all calls relating to use of psychotropic medications in children and adolescents were identified and reviewed. Information extracted included call characteristics, reason for calling, prior information, and medication details. Calls related to safety were compared to calls about non-safety-related issues.

RESULTS

A total of 286 calls related to psychotropic medication in young people were reviewed. The majority of callers were adults calling on behalf of either a child (73.4%) or client (12.9%). Stimulants were the most common medication enquired about (44.0% of calls), followed by antidepressants (40.2%), and antipsychotics (18.9%). More than half of all calls were for medicines not registered for pediatric use. Almost two thirds of calls related to safety issues (61.9%; 177/286). Safety-related calls were not related to specific medication groups (e.g., stimulants or antidepressants). Significant and independent predictors of safety-related concerns were medication not registered for pediatric use (p < 0.05), receipt of lay information (p < 0.05), concomitant enquiry about nonpsychotropic medication (p < 0.01), and a potential medication problem (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Safety is one of the key areas of concern in young people and families accessing a medicines information service with questions about psychotropic medication. Off-label use of medication was common and may contribute to safety concerns. Provision of information that is tailored for young people has the potential to improve outcomes in this group.

[Clinical trials in children--between the expectations of scientific requirements, the assurance of proven treatment and ethical demands]

Regulation (EC) No. 1901/2006 of the European Parliament and the Council dated 12 December 2008 on medicinal products for paediatric use is the result of a survey by the European Commission, concluding that children in the European Union are inadequately treated with medicinal products. The Regulation is addressed to the pharmaceutical industry with the intention to place medicinal products on the market and to the Member States to register all information on medicinal products for the treatment of children. The pharmaceutical industry will be obliged to conduct clinical trials in children for new medicinal products and medicinal products still under patent. This will be supported by incentives and rewards. As a consequence of the requirement to conduct clinical trials in children the framework and conditions have to be defined and ethical considerations have to be respected.

Advice on drug safety in pregnancy: are there differences between commonly used sources of information?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Safety regarding use in pregnancy is not established for many drugs. Inconsistencies between sources providing drug information can give rise to confusion with possible therapeutic consequences. Therefore, it is important to measure clinically important differences between drug information sources. The objective of this study was to compare two easily accessible Norwegian sources providing advice on drug safety in pregnancy - the product monographs in the Felleskatalog (FK), published by the pharmaceutical companies, and the five regional Drug Information Centres (DICs) in Norway - in addition to assessing the frequency of questions regarding drug safety in pregnancy made to the DICs according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system.

METHODS

Advice on drug use in pregnancy provided by the DICs in 2003 and 2005 were compared with advice in the product monographs for the respective drugs in the FK. Comparison of advice was based on categorization to one of four categories: can be used, benefit-risk assessment, should not be used, or no available information.

RESULTS

A total of 443 drug advice were categorized. Seven out of ten of drugs frequently enquired about, according to the ATC system, were drugs acting on the nervous system (group N). For 208 (47%) of the drugs, advice differed between the DICs and FK. Advice from the FK was significantly (p < 0.01) more restrictive than advice from the DICs. There were no differences in the level of consistency of advice between drugs that were newly introduced and those that had been on the market for a longer time, advice regarding use of drugs in the first trimester and advice regarding use of drugs in the second or third trimester, or between advice provided during 2003 and during 2005.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study show considerable differences between two Norwegian sources providing advice on the use of drugs in pregnancy. Based on the knowledge that healthcare providers choose sources of information in a random manner, our results may be of clinical importance. We believe that the problem with heterogeneous drug information on this subject is not confined to Norway and that our results should be of international interest.

Ethical issues in psychopharmacology of children and adolescents

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This summary of the literature published over recent years focuses on the ethical aspects of interventions with psychotropic medication in child and adolescent psychiatry. Ethical issues of pharmacotherapy concern aspects of research, safety, indicated use, enhancement, information and evidence-based practice.

RECENT FINDINGS

The literature on pharmacological interventions suggests changes in prescribing patterns for some substance classes owing to regulatory authorities' warnings. For most of the commonly used medications in children and adolescents no sound database about efficacy and safety is available and knowledge about adverse events and long-term safety remains poor. This is due to a general lack of clinical trials in this population. Legislative efforts have tried to improve safety and labelling of medicines for children. Ethical issues of enhancement in minors have been increasingly discussed over recent years.

SUMMARY

The ethical aspects of psychopharmacotherapy in minors are still rarely discussed in the literature. Practical questions of research and treatment ethics such as a need for information for children and parents are pointed out; conflicts of evocation and access to care for special populations in need are identified in a field lacking adequate ethical and clinical research.

Individual case safety reports in children in commonly used drug groups - signal detection

Background

Due to few paediatric drug safety studies, knowledge on risks of drug treatment in children is limited. The knowledge needs to be increased to make proper risk-benefit analyses possible when treating paediatric patients with drugs. The aim of the present study was to investigate drug groups commonly used in children concerning type and frequency of individual case safety reports in children.

Methods

Number and type of individual case safety reports in the 30 groups of drugs (5th level ATC-code) most sold (number of defined daily doses) in outpatient treatment to children (<15 years old) during 2005 were obtained. Descriptive analyses of the adverse drug reactions reported in children were performed.

Results

The number of individual case safety reports per million defined daily doses in children varied in the groups of drug between 0 and 24. The largest number was found in the drug group R03DC, the leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast; the majority of the children being <5 years old and experiencing psychiatric adverse drug reactions.

Conclusion

The number of individual case safety reports per million defined daily doses varies in different groups of drugs. A possible signal for montelukast and psychiatric adverse drug reactions was found, which should be further explored.

Off-label use of contrast agents

When contrast agents are approved, the label describes the approved indications and particular circumstances of use such as age, organ function or pregnancy. The use of contrast agents outside their labelled indications is increasing, namely with contrast agents used for MRI. The aim of this paper is to improve the knowledge about this topic. The basis for off-label use is the physician's prerogative, which finds its basis in the "Declaration of Helsinki". Off-label use is allowed under special conditions and might be even the medical state of the art. The necessity for off-label use will continue to increase for MR-contrast agents, as the regulatory requirements for approval of new indications continuously increase, and clinical trials for registration purposes are quite costly and time consuming. As a consequence, manufacturers will concentrate on clinical studies for the essential indications.