Do Coxibs Reduce Prescription of Gastroprotective Agents?
Author Information
Author(s): Giulio Formoso, Angelo Menna, Claudio Voci, Andrea Violante, Nicola Magrini
Primary Institution: CeVEAS (Centro per la Valutazione della Efficacia della Assistenza Sanitaria), Modena, Italy
Hypothesis
Are coxibs associated with reduced prescription of gastroprotective agents compared to non-selective NSAIDs?
Conclusion
Coxibs may not be associated with reduced prescription of gastroprotective agents as previously claimed.
Supporting Evidence
- Coxibs were prescribed to 3.4% of the adult population in the study area.
- Chronic coxib users showed higher co-prescription rates than chronic NSAID users.
- GPA prescription within thirty days was higher among all subgroups of coxib users.
Takeaway
The study looked at whether a type of pain medication called coxibs leads to fewer prescriptions for stomach-protecting drugs. It found that people taking coxibs actually got more stomach-protecting drugs than those taking other pain medications.
Methodology
A record-linkage study using 2001 outpatient prescription data and logistic regression to analyze GPA prescriptions.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias in prescribing practices.
Limitations
The study only analyzed prescriptions and not diagnoses, which may introduce residual confounding.
Participant Demographics
Adult users (>14 years) from the province of Modena, Italy.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
1.6 to 2.0
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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