Examining Fluoroquinolone Claims Among Gonorrhea-Associated Prescription Drug Claims, 2000-2010.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

After the release of CDC's revised gonorrhea treatment guidelines in April 2007, a study reported the declining use of fluoroquinolones to treat gonorrhea among health departments participating in the Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Network. In this study, we examine the proportion of fluoroquinolone claims among gonorrhea-associated prescription drug claims from a large insurance database from 2000 through 2010.

METHODS:

We extracted drug claims associated with gonorrhea diagnosis claims from the MarketScan database for 2000-2010 and calculated the proportion of the drug claims for fluoroquinolones on a monthly basis. We then used an interrupted time series analysis to investigate trend characteristics of fluoroquinolone claims before and after the gonorrhea treatment guidelines were revised in April 2007.

RESULTS:

Although there was a monthly decline in the proportion of fluoroquinolone claims before April 2007 (-0.11 percentage points, p<0.01), results indicate a sevenfold (-0.78 percentage points, p<0.01) increase in the rate of decline after the revised guidelines were released in April 2007. We did not find any sudden drop (immediate or delayed) in the proportion of fluoroquinolones after April 2007, implying a gradual permanent decline over the analytic period.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our results are consistent with the findings of the previous study and indicate a gradual and permanent decline (over the analytic period) in the proportion of fluoroquinolone claims among gonorrhea-associated prescription drug claims. However, because this is a convenience sample of claims data, these findings cannot be generalized to the entire privately insured population in the U.S.

• Authors: Kwame Owusu-Edusei Jr, Danya S Carroll, Thomas L Gift
• Journal: American journal of preventive medicine (Am J Prev Med) Vol. 49 Issue 5 Pg. 761-764 (Nov 2015) ISSN: 1873-2607 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 26190198 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Published by Elsevier Inc.

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Fluoroquinolones
• Prescription Drugs

Topics

• Anti-Bacterial Agents (therapeutic use)
• Databases, Factual
• Fluoroquinolones (therapeutic use)
• Gonorrhea (drug therapy, economics)
• Humans
• Practice Guidelines as Topic
• Prescription Drugs (supply & distribution)
• United States