Six-year follow-up of impact of co-proxamol withdrawal in England and Wales on prescribing and deaths: time-series study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The analgesic co-proxamol (paracetamol/dextropropoxyphene combination) has been widely involved in fatal poisoning. Concerns about its safety/effectiveness profile and widespread use for suicidal poisoning prompted its withdrawal in the UK in 2005, with partial withdrawal between 2005 and 2007, and full withdrawal in 2008. Our objective in this study was to assess the association between co-proxamol withdrawal and prescribing and deaths in England and Wales in 2005-2010 compared with 1998-2004, including estimation of possible substitution effects by other analgesics.

Methods and findings

We obtained prescribing data from the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (England) and Prescribing Services Partneriaeth Cydwasanaethau GIG Cymru (Wales), and mortalit

SUBMITTER: Hawton K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3348153 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature