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Incorrect use of orlistat and sibutramine in clinical practice
1Medical Products Agency, P.O. Box 26, 751 03 Uppsala, Sweden.
Objective:
To investigate how the antiobesity drugs orlistat and sibutramin are prescribed in relation to the approved indications and the Swedish subsidiary rules.
Methods:
Anonymous survey to prescribers of a random sample of 2000 out of 20,000 prescription of orlistat and sibutramin.
Results:
The response rate was around 65%. About half of the patients were not treated in accordance with the approved indications and a fourth of the patients prescribed sibutramin had one or several contraindications to the drug. The subsidiary rules were not followed in the majority of cases.
Conclusion:
Deviation from the approved indications and subsidiary criteria of orlistat and sibutramin is a question of waste of medical and economic resources. Prescribing of sibutramin to patients with contraindications is a serious health hazard.
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