Lessons from early large-scale adoption of celecoxib and rofecoxib by Australian general practitioners

To assess trends in the first two years of prescribing of COX-2-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (C2SNs) by Australian general practitioners.

Retrospective analysis of deidentified electronic patient records from GPs enrolled in the General Practice Research Network (GPRN).

Overall prescription rates for C2SNs and NSAIDs were assessed for all GPRN participants (437 GPs) between 1 September 1999 and 30 September 2002. Also, three cohorts of patients, with at least 12 months of prescription data, who received their first prescription for celecoxib between August and October 2000 (Cohort 1, 2366 patients), celecoxib between February and April 2001 (Cohort 2, 640 patients), and rofecoxib between February and April 2001 (Cohort 3, 608 patients) were selected for further analysis.

Age and sex of patients; reason for prescription; previously prescribed pain medications and concomitant use of medications that could predispose to an adverse renal or bleeding event.

Prescriptions for C2SNs increased dramatically after they were listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). C2SN prescriptions for patients aged less than 65 years accounted for 52.6%, 59.5% and 50.7% of those in Cohorts 1, 2 and 3, respectively; large numbers of patients in the study cohort had reasons recorded for prescription that did not comply with PBS restrictions, and between 36.7% and 61.3% of patients in the three cohorts had not received a prescription for any pain medication in the year before being prescribed a C2SN. Between 4.7% and 7.9% were coprescribed drugs that could cause renal complications.

Rapid, early adoption of C2SNs by Australian GPs has resulted in prescribing and drug use patterns that were not in accord with quality use of medicine (QUM) principles.