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Off-label utilization of antihypertensive medications in children
Esther Y Yoon1, Kevin J Dombkowski, Albert Rocchini
1Division of General Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0456, USA. est@med.umich.edu
Objective:
To examine off-label use and costs of antihypertensive drugs in children by using a national sample of prescription claims.
Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional study using the 2002 Medstat MarketScan Database, a national sample of outpatient prescription claims of children
Results:
One half of the index antihypertensive prescription claims were off label, based on minimum age criteria. Boys were more likely (56%) than girls (46%) to be prescribed off-label antihypertensives (P < .001). Children aged >or=12 years were more likely to be prescribed off-label antihypertensives (53%) compared with children aged
Conclusions:
Despite availability of often less expensive on-label alternatives for the same class of antihypertensive drugs, off-label antihypertensive drugs were prescribed frequently in children. These findings underscore the potential clinical and economic implications of common off-label prescribing, for children, their parents, physicians, and payers.
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