Drug class | Drug category | Prescriptions | Users | ||||||||
Total | %# | UL | %¶ | OL | %¶ | Total | %# | UL/OL+ | %¶ | ||
Inhaled corticosteroids | Antiasthmatics | 943 | 18.0 | 307 | 32.6 | 488 | 3.6 | 180 | 36.9 | ||
Inhaled β2‐sympathomimetics | Antiasthmatics | 898 | 17.1 | 162 | 18.0 | 300 | 33.4 | 561 | 4.2 | 318 | 56.7 |
Indifferent antihistamines§ | Antihistamines for systemic use | 776 | 14.8 | 299 | 38.5 | 49 | 6.3 | 517 | 3.9 | 267 | 51.6 |
Nasal sympathomimetics | Nasal preparations | 668 | 12.7 | 32 | 4.8 | 9 | 1.3 | 602 | 4.5 | 37 | 6.1 |
Pheothiazine derivates | Antihistamines for systemic use | 467 | 8.9 | 73 | 15.6 | 20 | 4.3 | 389 | 2.9 | 78 | 20.1 |
Nasal corticosteroids | Nasal preparations | 276 | 5.3 | 141 | 51.1 | 4 | 1.4 | 182 | 1.4 | 94 | 51.6 |
Nonsteroid antiallergic drugs | Nasal preparations | 200 | 3.8 | 119 | 59.5 | 4 | 2.0 | 120 | 0.9 | 75 | 62.5 |
Piperazine derivates | Antihistamines for systemic use | 175 | 3.3 | 15 | 8.6 | 7 | 4.0 | 119 | 0.9 | 15 | 12.6 |
Opium alkaloids and derivates | Cough and cold medications | 164 | 3.1 | 1 | 0.6 | 26 | 15.9 | 141 | 1.1 | 25 | 17.7 |
Parasympathomimetics | Antiasthmatics | 112 | 2.1 | 7 | 6.3 | 100 | 89.3 | 88 | 0.7 | 84 | 95.5 |
Expectorants | Cough and cold medications | 98 | 1.9 | 34 | 34.7 | 20 | 20.4 | 93 | 0.7 | 74 | 79.6 |
Mucolyticsƒ | Cough and cold medications | 81 | 1.5 | 28 | 34.6 | 71 | 0.5 | 26 | 36.6 | ||
Other drugs for nasal use## | Nasal preparations | 75 | 1.4 | 57 | 0.4 | ||||||
Other cough-suppressant drugs¶¶ | Cough and cold medications | 75 | 1.4 | 52 | 69.3 | 61 | 0.5 | 44 | 72.1 | ||
Sympathomimetics+other antiasthmatics++ | Antiasthmatics | 69 | 1.3 | 68 | 98.6 | 50 | 0.4 | 50 | 100.0 |
UL: unlicensed
OL: off-label
#: percentage of total number of respiratory prescriptions (n=5252) and patients in the cohort (n=13426)
¶: row percentage
+: patients with an UL or OL prescription
§: e.g. deptropine, ketotifen, and tefenadine
ƒ: acetylcysteine and brome hexin
##: e.g. mupirocin and NaCl
¶¶: e.g. pentoxyverine
++: e.g. fenoterol+ipratropium in Berodual®