Absolute Prevalence of Off-Label Systemic Drug Orders by Drug Class and Age for Children in US Ambulatory Settings (2006–2015)
| Drug Classa . | Off-Label Orders per 1000 Ambulatory Visits (95% CIs) . | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age <1 mo . | Age 1 mo to <2 y . | Age 2–5 y . | Age 6–11 y . | Age 12–17 y . | All Children . | |
| Anti-infective | 13.7b (6.8–20.5) | 60.1 (52.9–67.2) | 88.6 (80.7–96.6) | 78.3 (70.3–86.2) | 79.8 (70.1–89.5) | 74.8 (69.6–79.9) |
| Respiratory | 0.5b (0–1.6) | 48.0 (40.6–55.4) | 63.5 (56.5–70.6) | 61.0 (53.8–68.2) | 50.1 (43.8–56.5) | 53.8 (49.8–57.9) |
| Nervous | 9.0b (1.2–16.7) | 8.6 (4.3–12.9) | 16.0 (12.8–19.1) | 62.6 (54.2–71.0) | 123.0 (108.9–137.2) | 53.7 (47.8–59.5) |
| Alimentary | 27.5 (15.8–39.2) | 26.3 (21.9–30.8) | 26.9 (22.1–31.8) | 27.8 (23.5–32.1) | 22.1 (18.8–25.5) | 25.8 (23.2–28.4) |
| Hormonal | NDb | 13.4 (10.5–16.3) | 15.8 (12.8–18.7) | 12.2 (9.1–15.2) | 10.3 (7.8–12.9) | 12.4 (10.9–13.9) |
| Cardiovascular | 0b (0–0.1) | 1.6b (0.8–2.4) | 3.4 (2.2–4.6) | 6.4 (4.5–8.4) | 8.3 (6.2–10.4) | 4.9 (4.0–5.9) |
| Musculoskeletal | 1.3b (0–3.4) | 3.8 (2.5–5.1) | 3.3 (1.8–4.8) | 3.4 (2.2–4.5) | 8.5 (6.4–10.5) | 4.7 (3.9–5.6) |
| Genitourinary | NDb | 0.2b (0–0.5) | 0.3b (0–0.5) | 0.6b (0.1–1.2) | 15.7 (12.8–18.6) | 4.4 (3.6–5.2) |
| Drug Classa . | Off-Label Orders per 1000 Ambulatory Visits (95% CIs) . | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age <1 mo . | Age 1 mo to <2 y . | Age 2–5 y . | Age 6–11 y . | Age 12–17 y . | All Children . | |
| Anti-infective | 13.7b (6.8–20.5) | 60.1 (52.9–67.2) | 88.6 (80.7–96.6) | 78.3 (70.3–86.2) | 79.8 (70.1–89.5) | 74.8 (69.6–79.9) |
| Respiratory | 0.5b (0–1.6) | 48.0 (40.6–55.4) | 63.5 (56.5–70.6) | 61.0 (53.8–68.2) | 50.1 (43.8–56.5) | 53.8 (49.8–57.9) |
| Nervous | 9.0b (1.2–16.7) | 8.6 (4.3–12.9) | 16.0 (12.8–19.1) | 62.6 (54.2–71.0) | 123.0 (108.9–137.2) | 53.7 (47.8–59.5) |
| Alimentary | 27.5 (15.8–39.2) | 26.3 (21.9–30.8) | 26.9 (22.1–31.8) | 27.8 (23.5–32.1) | 22.1 (18.8–25.5) | 25.8 (23.2–28.4) |
| Hormonal | NDb | 13.4 (10.5–16.3) | 15.8 (12.8–18.7) | 12.2 (9.1–15.2) | 10.3 (7.8–12.9) | 12.4 (10.9–13.9) |
| Cardiovascular | 0b (0–0.1) | 1.6b (0.8–2.4) | 3.4 (2.2–4.6) | 6.4 (4.5–8.4) | 8.3 (6.2–10.4) | 4.9 (4.0–5.9) |
| Musculoskeletal | 1.3b (0–3.4) | 3.8 (2.5–5.1) | 3.3 (1.8–4.8) | 3.4 (2.2–4.5) | 8.5 (6.4–10.5) | 4.7 (3.9–5.6) |
| Genitourinary | NDb | 0.2b (0–0.5) | 0.3b (0–0.5) | 0.6b (0.1–1.2) | 15.7 (12.8–18.6) | 4.4 (3.6–5.2) |
ND, not defined.
Drug class according to ATC level 1 classification.
Values are based on <30 observations.