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Evidence for prolonged prescribing of aspirin–clopidogrel combination in Scottish primary care
Author(s) -
Simpson Colin R.,
Alford Karen,
Williams David
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.023
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1099-1557
pISSN - 1053-8569
DOI - 10.1002/pds.1561
Subject(s) - medicine , clopidogrel , aspirin , pharmacoepidemiology , primary care , intensive care medicine , medical prescription , pharmacology , family medicine
Purpose To identify whether patients were prescribed the combination of aspirin–clopidogrel in primary care after the generally recommended 12‐month period. Methods A population based cross‐sectional study using data from 61 general practices (1st April 2003–31st March 2004). Results 691 patients (0.18% of total population) were prescribed aspirin–clopidogrel in combination. 27.78% of these patients had undergone coronary stenting or angioplasty and 34.30% were prescribed this combination for more than 1 year. 96 (13.9%) patients had a previous history of ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack. Conclusions Patients were prescribed the combination of aspirin–clopidogrel beyond the generally accepted 12‐month period, which may lead to increased safety and cost concerns. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.