Use of fixed-dose combinations for cardiovascular indications from 2018 to 2023: a nationwide population-based study.

Aims: Clinical guidelines support the use of fixed-dose combinations (FDC) for prevention of cardiovascular disease. Implementation of FDC into clinical care remains challenging, and current population-based data are scarce.

Methods And Results: Claims data on dispensed drugs in an outpatient care setting of approximately 87% of the German population were analysed regarding the use of FDC according to time, age of the insured persons, and active ingredients.

Increased Demand for Pharmaceutical Drugs Containing Potassium Iodide In Connection with the Russia-Ukraine Conflict.

The current conflict between Russia and Ukraine increased concerns in the German population of a release of radioactive substances, e.g.radioactive iodine.

Assessment of the Prescriptions of Systemic Antibiotics in Primary Dental Care in Germany from 2017 to 2021: A Longitudinal Drug Utilization Study.

(1) Background: Due to increasing antibiotic resistance, the frequency of antibiotic use should be questioned in dentistry and attention paid to the choice of the best suited substance according to guidelines. In Germany, overprescribing of clindamycin was noteworthy in the past. Therefore, the aim of our study was to determine the trend of antibiotic prescriptions in primary dental care.

Trends in Ezetimibe Prescriptions as Monotherapy or Fixed-Dose Combination in Germany 2012-2021.

Aims: Addition of ezetimibe to statin therapy is recommended by current guidelines when low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets are not achieved with statin monotherapy. Fixed-dose combinations (FDC) improve medication adherence and facilitate risk factor control. We assessed prescription trends of ezetimibe as monotherapy or FDC with statins.

Use of fixed-dose combination antihypertensives in Germany between 2016 and 2020: an example of guideline inertia.

Background: The 2018 European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Society of Hypertension (ESH) guidelines for the management of hypertension highlight the importance of fixed-dose combinations (FDC) for the treatment of hypertension and recommend initial single-pill combination therapy in almost all patients. However, data on the implementation of these recommendations in clinical practice are scarce.

Methods: Data from the German Institute for Drug Use Evaluation (DAPI) were analyzed and extrapolated accounting for approximately 88% of Germany's population (approximately 73.

Quality Appraisal of Ambulatory Oral Cephalosporin and Fluoroquinolone Use in the 16 German Federal States from 2014-2019.

Background: Despite concerns about causing bacterial resistance and serious side effects, oral cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones are still frequently prescribed in Germany. We aimed to test a method for the detection of regional quality differences in the use of oral cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones and to apply this to the German federal states.

Methods: Use of antibiotics from 2014-2019 was analyzed using dispensing data from community pharmacies claimed to the statutory health insurance (SHI) funds.

Utilization of drugs with reports on potential efficacy or harm on COVID-19 before, during, and after the first pandemic wave.

Purpose: Conflicting information on potential benefits of drugs as well as reports on hypothetical harm of commonly used drugs in COVID-19 treatment have challenged clinicians and healthcare systems. We analyzed the change in ambulatory drug utilization before, during, and after the first wave of the pandemic in 2020.

Methods: We explored dispensing data of nearly 19 000 pharmacies at the expense of the statutory health insurance funds covering 88% of Germany's population.

Impact of angiotensin receptor blocker product recalls on antihypertensive prescribing in Germany.

In Germany, ~8 million patients take angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and 2.25 million of them valsartan. In 2018, contamination of generic ARBs with probable carcinogenic nitrosamines resulted in more than 30 recalls.

Comparing outpatient oral antibiotic use in Germany and the Netherlands from 2012 to 2016.

Purpose: Overuse of antibiotics is of concern, but may differ between European countries. This study compares outpatient use of oral antibiotics between Germany (DE) and the Netherlands (NL).

Methods: For DE, we used the DAPI database with information on dispensings at the expense of the Statutory Health Insurance Funds from > 80% of community pharmacies.

In search of a standard when analyzing medication adherence in patients with heart failure using claims data: a systematic review.

To determine and address medication non-adherence is important and may improve patient outcomes. Our aim was to perform a systematic review on the operationalization of adherence measures in patients with heart failure using claims data. We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases.

Adherence to Disease Modifying Drugs among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis in Germany: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Long-term therapies such as disease modifying therapy for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) demand high levels of medication adherence in order to reach acceptable outcomes. The objective of this study was to describe adherence to four disease modifying drugs (DMDs) among statutorily insured patients within two years following treatment initiation. These drugs were interferon beta-1a i.