1. Has the rescheduling of modified‐release paracetamol in Australia affected the frequency of overdoses?
- Author
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Ryan, Michaela J, Graudins, Andis, O'Shea, Nicole, Noghrehchi, Firouzeh, and Wong, Anselm
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DRUG overdose , *PHARMACEUTICAL arithmetic , *CONTROLLED release preparations , *RETROSPECTIVE studies , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *TIME series analysis , *CHI-squared test , *DISEASE prevalence , *DOSE-response relationship in biochemistry , *LONGITUDINAL method , *ODDS ratio , *DOSE-effect relationship in pharmacology , *RESEARCH methodology , *ELECTRONIC health records , *COMPARATIVE studies , *CONFIDENCE intervals , *ACETAMINOPHEN , *POISON control centers - Abstract
Objectives: In June 2020, modified‐release paracetamol (paracetamol‐MR) preparations were up‐scheduled from schedule‐2 (available in pharmacy) to schedule‐3 (available by request to a pharmacist only). The present study aims to ascertain whether up‐scheduling affected the frequency of paracetamol‐MR overdoses. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of two data sets from 1 June 2017 to 31 May 2022. Monash Health data were extracted using the diagnosis of paracetamol overdose coding and electronic medical records data. Calls regarding paracetamol‐MR overdoses to Victorian Poisons Information Centre (VPIC) were extracted from the Poisons centre call database. We used a quasi‐experimental research design with interrupted time series analysis to evaluate the immediate impact and change in trend of poisoning‐related calls and ED presentations before and after June 2020. The change in proportion of paracetamol‐MR cases in both databases was analysed using the Χ2 test. Results: The proportion of paracetamol‐MR cases in both data sets did not change. From Monash Health, there was no level change in monthly paracetamol‐MR overdose‐related presentations following re‐scheduling (rate ratio [RR] = 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.57–2.01). There was no change in monthly paracetamol‐MR overdose‐related calls to VPIC following re‐scheduling (RR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.96–1.14). Conclusion: The proportion of paracetamol‐MR overdoses did not decrease after the up‐scheduling to S3. Similarly, the frequency of overdoses by month remained similar. Further limitations on access to paracetamol products may need to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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