A study of codispensing with sodium alendronate in Australia.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the percentage of patients dispensed alendronate who were also dispensed another drug for treatment of an upper gastrointestinal disorder ('GI' drug).


METHODS
The Australian Health Insurance Commission (HIC) Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) database was searched to identify a cohort of patients for whom alendronate or calcitriol had been dispensed and had also been dispensed a GI drug.


RESULTS
The number of patients dispensed a GI drug were 6.7% for alendronate and 7.5% for calcitriol with H(2)-receptor antagonists accounting for the majority of usage. This difference of - 0.8% (95% confidence interval -1.6, 0.1) is not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
There was no excess use of GI drugs in patients taking alendronate compared with those taking calcitriol and the Australian HIC PBS database is useful for identifying large numbers of patients who have been dispensed combinations of drugs.
Adverse Drug Reactions Unit, Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health and Ageing, Woden, Australia. ian.bod@health.gov.au
Ian W
IW
Boyd
John
J
McEwen
Lisa J
LJ
Calcino
D019386:Alendronate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001315:Australia; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D017678:Sex Distribution
D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D002117:Calcitriol; D019386:Alendronate