Three warnings ignored, are doctors paying attention.

While three regulatory warnings of serious adverse events from anti-psychotic prescription drugs slowed the growth of use of atypical anti-psychotic drugs among elderly patients with dementia, they did not reduce the overall prescription rate of these drugs.

This stark finding comes from an analysis of prescription drug claims data in Ontario Canada and is published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The rate of use of these drugs actually increased 20% from the month prior to the first warning in September 2002 to the end of the study period in February 2007.

About 70% of people receiving antipsychotic drugs lived in nursing homes, and approximately 40% were aged 85 or older.

Three new atypical antipsychotic drugs approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and other related psychiatric conditions by Health Canada, however only one of them was approved for short term use to treat symptoms of aggression and psychosis in elderly patients with dementia. Between October 2002 and June 2005 Health Canada released three warning of increased risk of stroke or death in elderly patients with dementia taking these drugs.

Dr. Geoffrey Anderson and co-authors University of Toronto, “found that the 3 warnings about serious adverse events associated with use of atypical antipsychotic agents in elderly people with dementia had a limited effect on the prescription rates of these agents. We also found that the overall rates of use of these drugs actually increased between the first warning in 2002 and the end of our follow-up in 2007.”

“This finding highlights the limited impact of warnings and suggests that more effective approaches are needed to protect vulnerable populations from potentially hazardous medications,” state the authors.

Source
Canadian Medical Association Journal