The prescription patterns and safety profiles of oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in China: an 8-year real-life analysis.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the prescription patterns and safety profiles of oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in three Chinese hospitals.

Methods: The study analyzed the data of 50,732 patients who were prescribed oral NSAIDs from July 1, 2012 to August 31, 2019. The characteristics of these patients, the prescription patterns of NSAIDs, and the drug-related safety profiles were evaluated.

Results: Oral NSAIDs were prescribed to patients of all ages. Of the patients, 81.88% were prescribed NSAIDs on only one occasion, and 91.64% were prescribed one type of NSAID only. The combination of different NSAIDs accounted for 2,360 person-times. Orthopedic departments most commonly used selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, while emergency departments most commonly used traditional NSAIDs. The incidences of gastrointestinal (GI) complications, cardiovascular (CV) events, and newonset hypertension were lower in patients treated with selective COX-2 inhibitors than those treated with traditional NSAIDs and NSAID combinations (P<0.05). In relation to selective COX-2 inhibitors, incidences of new-onset hypertension were lower in patients treated with imrecoxib than those treated with other types of selective COX-2 inhibitors (P=0.0102).

Conclusions: In respect of the at-risk patients (i.e., those with related disease, such as GI complications, CV events or other risks), the patterns with which oral NSAIDs were prescribed was not standardized. In terms of adverse effects, selective COX-2 inhibitors represent a better choice than traditional NSAIDs and NSAID combinations.