Swissmedic Vigilance News Edition 21 – November 2018

Figure 3: Prescriber of quetiapine (Ntot=476)
Conclusion
The results confirm that quetiapine is widely
used in retirement homes in Ticino: A third
of the residents are treated with this medicine.
Quetiapine was administered mainly at
low dosages for an off-label indication, particularly
for the treatment of agitation and
dementia.
A statistically significant link also emerged
between the off-label prescribing of quetiapine
and the prescribing by general practitioners
compared to specialists.
Efforts to raise awareness among general
practitioners about the off-label use of quetiapine
and, possibly, the increased involvement
of specialists in the prescribing of
drugs in retirement homes may help reduce
the frequency of prescription of this drug in
inappropriate cases, and thereby improve
the care of the elderly.
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