Off-label Utilization of Antihypertensive Medications in Children
Author
Yoon, Esther Y.; Dombkowski, Kevin J.; Rocchini, Albert; Lin, Jen-Jar; Davis, Matthew M.
Abstract
Objective— To examine off-label utilization and costs of antihypertensive drugs in children using a national sample of prescription claims. Design— Cross-sectional study. Setting— 2002 Medstat MarketScan Database, a national sample of outpatient prescription claims of children ≥18 years old enrolled in private, employer-sponsored health plans. Main Outcome Measures— Off-label use of antihypertensive drugs by patient age and costs of
antihypertensives calculated as mean cost per child per 30-day fill.
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<0.001). Children aged ≥12 years were more likely to be prescribed off-label antihypertensives (53%) compared with children aged ≥5 (46%) and 6–11 years (42%, p<0.001). Off-label use varied significantly by class of antihypertensive drugs (p<0.001). Overall, off-label antihypertensives were significantly more expensive than on-label antihypertensives. 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. Originally published Ambulatory Pediatrics, Vol. 7, No. 4, July 2007
Date
2007-07
Citation:
APA:
Yoon, Esther Y., & Dombkowski, Kevin J., & Rocchini, Albert, & Lin, Jen-Jar, & Davis, Matthew M.. (July 2007).
Off-label Utilization of Antihypertensive Medications in Children.
Ambulatory Pediatrics,
7(4),
299-
303. Retrieved from
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/3412
MLA:
Yoon, Esther Y., and Dombkowski, Kevin J., and Rocchini, Albert, and Lin, Jen-Jar, and Davis, Matthew M..
"Off-label Utilization of Antihypertensive Medications in Children". Ambulatory Pediatrics.
7:4. (299-303),
July 2007.
September 22, 2023.
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/3412.
Chicago:
Yoon, Esther Y. and Dombkowski, Kevin J. and Rocchini, Albert and Lin, Jen-Jar and Davis, Matthew M.,
"Off-label Utilization of Antihypertensive Medications in Children," Ambulatory Pediatrics 7, no.
4 (July 2007),
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/3412 (accessed
September 22, 2023).
AMA:
Yoon, Esther Y., Dombkowski, Kevin J., Rocchini, Albert, Lin, Jen-Jar, Davis, Matthew M..
Off-label Utilization of Antihypertensive Medications in Children. Ambulatory Pediatrics.
July 2007;
7(4):
299-303.
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/3412. Accessed
September 22, 2023.
Collections
Publisher
East Carolina University