Disseminating Drug Prescribing Information
The Cox-2 Inhibitors Withdrawals
- Affiliations of the authors: University of Virginia Department of Family Medicine (SMS), Charlottesville, Virginia, University of Virginia, Department of Family Medicine (DCS), Charlottesville, Virginia, Tufts University Family Medicine Residency (AFS), Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
- Correspondence and reprints: Scott M. Strayer, MD, MPH, University of Virginia Health System, Department of Family Medicine, P.O. Box 800729, Charlottesville, Virginia USA 22908-0729; e-mail: 〈sstrayer{at}virginia.edu〉
- Received 3 January 2006
- Accepted 26 March 2006
Abstract
This case study examined the recent withdrawal of valdecoxib to determine the timeliness of updates in commonly used information sources used by healthcare professionals. The method included assembling a purposive sample of 15 drug reference and warning systems that were then systematically monitored for several months after the withdrawal of valdecoxib to determine the time to update this information. These information sources were classified and described qualitatively. A time to diffusion curve was plotted and the average number of days to report the drug withdrawal or update reference databases was calculated. Only 2 of 15 information systems reported the drug withdrawal on the actual date of the FDA announcement. Institutional electronic textbooks took an average of 109.8 days (±14 days) to report the withdrawal. In addition, one pharma-sponsored dissemination source (Peerview Press) had not updated their information as of this publication.
Footnotes
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SS has received consulting fees from Epocrates in the past. DS and AS have no competing interest to declare.
