Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare licensed indications for equivalent drugs in the United Kingdom and the United States. We compared licensed indications, routes of administration, and pediatric dosing information for 35 drugs available in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Azathioprine, propranolol, prazosin, argipressin (vasopressin), and amiodarone are compared for labeled uses in the United Kingdom and the United States. The United Kingdom data sheets were found to have much wider indications (30 indications in the United Kingdom compared to 15 in the United States). Pediatric information regarding 18 drugs suggested that significantly more detailed pediatric dosing information is available for United Kingdom products. Some of the causes of the different data sheet indications between the two countries are discussed. The narrower licensed indications for American products may reflect the more litigious nature of American society. Both countries would benefit from a more timely updating of pharmaceutical data sheets to allow them to be true therapeutic documents.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.