title: [Prescription of drugs with ASMR V in patients over 65 years in a primary care ambulatory setting. Drug prescription analysis in the Midi-Pyrénées region (France)].
abstract: In French patients over 65 years, drug intake is characterized by polytherapy, causing iatrogenic events. The general practitioner is the main actor in the follow-up and reassessment of drug prescriptions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the proportion of ASMR V (Amélioration du service medical rendu - additional therapeutic benefit versus current standards) drugs [drugs producing no medical improvement] prescribed to patients over 65 years in the management of a chronic disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  In May 2009, 849 drug prescriptions were collected from 34 general practitioners in the Midi-Pyrénées region. Specialties with ASMR V were classified according to the anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) classification system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  58.8% of the prescriptions concerned female patients; 67.4% of the prescriptions contained at least one ASMR-V drug. Approximately 20% of the prescriptions in subjects over 65 years contained ASMR-V drugs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that older subjects are being prescribed a significant number of ASMR-V drugs. However, this classification combines several situations, including a product line extension, a fixed combination of preexisting drugs, an insufficient therapeutic benefit, the absence of additional therapeutic benefit versus a comparative drug, the absence of comparative study in some indications, or a less favorable benefit-risk ratio comparing to that of the reference drug.This classification includes as well the generic drugs prescribed using the international non proprietary names. This study did not analyze the influence of certain factors, such as treatment history, history of drug allergy or dose titration, which could influence the physician's decision.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following this study, it appears useful to extend this type of survey to other general practitioners in other French regions, and to analyze the reasons for prescribing ASMR-V drugs. These data would help increasing general practitioners' awareness of "proper drug use" to reduce the proportion of "inadequate" drugs prescribed to older subjects. One could also consider conducting a survey amongst older patients under polytherapy, to question them on the treatments taken.
authors.affiliation: Département universitaire de médecine générale, faculté de médecine de Toulouse Rangueil, 31400 Toulouse. serge.bismuth@dumg-toulouse.fr
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bismuth
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chalvignac
authors.forename: Haleh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bagheri
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oustric
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000145:classification* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011320:Primary Health Care