A wide use of APDs with torsadogenic liability was reported in a broad population from five European Countries especially in Italy and the Netherlands. The safety warnings issued by regulatory agencies contributed to reduce the use of thioridazine in UK and haloperidol in Italy. The wide use of medications with torsadogenic liability in elderly patients, observed in our study, should be carefully taken into account given the higher risk of VAs potentially leading to SCD of this population. Abstract Introduction Antipsychotic drugs (APDs) are used to treat several mental illnesses. Some APDs have been known since long to be associated with QT prolongation, potentially leading to Torsades de Pointes (TdP) and Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). In 2005, thioridazine was withdrawn because of the risk of SCD, raising further attention about the arrhythmogenic potential of APDs. Aim To evaluate the use of APDs in 5 European Countries during the years 1996-2010. Methods A cohort study was conducted using prescription/dispensing data from seven healthcare databases (AARHUS [Denmark], GEPARD [Germany], Health Search/Thales (HSD) and Emilia Romagna Regional Database (ERD) [Italy], PHARMO and IPCI [Netherlands], and THIN [UK]), covering a population of 27 million individuals. The annual prescription rate of APDs was measured overall and for individual medications. APDs were classified as torsadogenic by Arizona-CERT list. All analyses were stratified by age, gender, and calendar year. Results
A wide use of APDs with torsadogenic liability was reported in a broad population from five European Countries especially in Italy and the Netherlands. The safety warnings issued by regulatory agencies contributed to reduce the use of thioridazine in UK and haloperidol in Italy. The wide use of medications with torsadogenic liability in elderly patients, observed in our study, should be carefully taken into account given the higher risk of VAs potentially leading to SCD of this population. Abstract Introduction Antipsychotic drugs (APDs) are used to treat several mental illnesses. Some APDs have been known since long to be associated with QT prolongation, potentially leading to Torsades de Pointes (TdP) and Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). In 2005, thioridazine was withdrawn because of the risk of SCD, raising further attention about the arrhythmogenic potential of APDs. Aim To evaluate the use of APDs in 5 European Countries during the years 1996-2010. Methods A cohort study was conducted using prescription/dispensing data from seven healthcare databases (AARHUS [Denmark], GEPARD [Germany], Health Search/Thales (HSD) and Emilia Romagna Regional Database (ERD) [Italy], PHARMO and IPCI [Netherlands], and THIN [UK]), covering a population of 27 million individuals. The annual prescription rate of APDs was measured overall and for individual medications. APDs were classified as torsadogenic by Arizona-CERT list. All analyses were stratified by age, gender, and calendar year. Results
Prescribing_pattern_of_antipsychotic_drugs_OTERI_Accepted_18May2016_GREEN_AAM.docx