ArticleBMC pediatrics2019
Pattern and extent of off-label and unlicensed drug use in neonatal intensive care units in Iran.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Off-Label Medication Use in a Serbian Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Prevalence of drug-drug interactions in children with cardiac disorders receiving off-label drugs in a single centre in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Off-label use of medicines in South Africa: a review.Orphanet journal of rare diseases · 2024Review
- Off‑label and unapproved pediatric drug utilization: A meta‑analysis.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2024Article
- Younger Children with Respiratory Tract Infections Are More Exposed to Off-Label Treatments: An Exploratory Retrospective Study in a Pediatric Emergency Setting.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Off-Label and Unlicenced Medicine Use among Hospitalised Children in South Africa: Practice and Policy Implications.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Prescription of off-label and unlicensed medication for newborns hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit.Revista paulista de pediatria : orgao oficial da Sociedade de Pediatria de Sao Paulo · 2023Observational
- Inhaled Pharmacotherapy for Neonates: A Narrative Review.Turkish archives of pediatrics · 2022Article
- Extent, reasons and consequences of off-labeled and unlicensed drug prescription in hospitalized children: a narrative review.World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2021Review
- Review of Drug Utilization Studies in Neonatal Units: A Global Perspective.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Review
- Off-label and unlicensed drug use in Ayder comprehensive specialized hospital neonatal intensive care unit.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMany newborns may need to be hospitalized and receive drugs during the first days of their lives. These drugs are fundamentally prescribed as off-label and unlicensed. This study aimed to investigate the amount of these kinds of drugs administered in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) of Abuzar and Imam Khomeini Teaching Hospitals in Ahvaz, Iran.
methodsThis was a 3-month descriptive, cross-sectional study with retrospective nature in which 193 hospitalized newborns were studied. Demographic data were extracted from the patients' files. The drugs were classified as off-label, unlicensed or licensed according to the Pediatric & Neonatal Dosage Handbook (Lexicomp®, 22nd Edition).
resultsIn total, 1049 prescriptions were registered for the 193 hospitalized newborns (term and preterm). For each newborn, the mean numbers of prescriptions and drugs received were 5.4 and 4.5, respectively. The mean numbers of prescriptions and drugs were greater for preterm newborns. Of the total 1049 prescriptions, 38.1% were off-label and 1.9% were unlicensed. Of the 193 newborns, 85% received at least one off-label or unlicensed prescription. Off-label prescriptions were mostly related to dose (44.8%) and dosing interval (36.5%). Most off-label drugs were antibiotics (mainly Gentamicin). Albuterol was used off-label in 100% of the cases.
conclusionsThe results of the present study show that the prescription of off-label and unlicensed drugs in NICUs is as high in Iran as in other countries. This suggests that it is necessary to provide information to neonatologists to decrease the prescription of off-label and unlicensed drugs.
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