Indigestion drugs 'overused'
£100m is being wasted on drugs to treat indigestion, medics claim
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Friday, 04, Jan 2008 11:58
The NHS wastes at least £100 million each year on drugs to treat indigestion, doctors claim today.
Dr Ian Forgacs and Dr Aathavan Loganayagam from King's College London say proton pump inhibitors "are clearly being overused".
These drugs are one of the most frequently prescribed classes of drug in the world and work by inhibiting the backflow of stomach acid that causes indigestion (dyspepsia).
It is estimated that £425 million was spent on these drugs in England in 2006.
Dr Forgacs and Dr Loganavagam write in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) that effective and less expensive alternative drugs are available for many patients.
Despite this they say prescriptions for proton pump inhibitors have superseded those for all other acid inhibiting agents.
They now account for over 90 per cent of the NHS drug budget for treating dyspepsia.
The medics refer to a study which found that 67 per cent of hospitalised patients taking proton pump inhibitors in the UK did not meet criteria for taking the drug.
The study also suggests overuse of proton pump inhibitors is not confined to the UK, as 63 per cent and 33 per cent of such patients in Australia and Ireland did not meet the drug's criteria.
A US study of hospital in-patients found that most were taking these drugs unnecessarily at time of discharge.
About £2 billion is estimated to be spent unnecessarily on the drugs worldwide.
"Proton pump inhibitors have been a tremendous therapeutic advance… but the drugs are clearly being overused," the medics conclude in the BMJ.
They add that side effects of the drugs, although quite rare, should not be overlooked.
"The adverse effect of overprescription on drug budgets around the world is the real problem," Dr Forgacs and Dr Loganayagam said.
"Quite how to motivate doctors to follow guidelines is a matter of considerable importance."