Oral Corticosteroid Abuse and Self-Prescription in Italy: A Perspective from Community Pharmacists and Sales Reports before and during the COVID-19 Era.

ABSTRACT: (1) Background: Corticosteroids are commonly used for a variety of conditions, but their use might come with significant side effects. Self-medication practices increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially favoring corticosteroid misuse. Studies on this topic are lacking, thus we aim to characterize the misuse of corticosteroids in Italy through pharmacists' perspectives and sales reports. (2) Methods: We sent to territorial pharmacists a survey that aimed to investigate corticosteroid misuse before and during the pandemic. In parallel, sales reports of the major oral corticosteroids were obtained from IQVIA. (3) Results: We found that 34.8% of clients demanded systemic corticosteroids without a valid prescription, with a rise to 43.9% during the pandemic (p < 0.001). Adults

SUBMITTER: Nappi E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10220562 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature