title: [Celecoxib prescription: data from the "Sécurité Sociale" database of the Aquitaine Region, South-Western, France].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of subjects beginning celecoxib treatment and the evolution of treatment over a 6-month period.
  
  
  METHODS
  All the subjects (n = 14 323) for whom reimbursement of celecoxib was submitted to the "Sécurité Sociale" d'Aquitaine in December 2000 were included in the study. Their mean age was 61.9 years, and the male/female sex ratio was equal to 0.45. Almost two-thirds of the subjects were previous typical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug users (NSAIDs-typical).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen percent of the subjects had a gastroprotective agent prescribed, either on the same form as celecoxib or during the following 30 days. New reimbursements of celecoxib involved 41% of the subjects. Among the subjects who received a repeat prescription of celecoxib, 41% had used a gastroprotective agent at least once during the 6 months before study inclusion and 44% during the 6 months after inclusion. Among the subjects who did not renew their celecoxib prescription, the respective proportions were 32.2% and 33.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results show that celecoxib is mainly prescribed to previous NSAIDs-typical users. The small difference in the prescription of gastroprotective agents between the period preceding and that following the initiation of celecoxib treatment does not indicate an advantage of celecoxib in terms of a lower rate of use of gastroprotective agents.
authors.affiliation: Département de Pharmacologie, Inserm U657, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France. annie.fourrier@pharmaco.u-bordeaux2.fr
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fourrier-Réglat
authors.forename: Ségolène
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Bailliencourt
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molimard
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Latry
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peter
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bégaud
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068579:Celecoxib; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D011720:Pyrazoles; D013449:Sulfonamides; D000068579:Celecoxib