Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hepatotoxicity warning on 14 January 2011 on the prescribing practices and hepatic monitoring of patients receiving dronedarone.
Methods: Patients who received dronedarone 1 year before and after the FDA warning were retrospectively evaluated for the appropriateness of dronedarone prescribing, hepatic injury evaluation and medication discontinuation rates in a tertiary medical centre.
Key findings: Ninety-one patients (66.4%) were prescribed dronedarone prior to the FDA warning, compared with 46 patients (33.6%) after the warning. The frequency of liver function testing (72.5% versus 76.1%) and discontinuation rates (42.9% versus 50%) were similar before and after the FDA warning.
Conclusions: There was no significant change in dronedarone prescribing practice, monitoring of hepatic function or discontinuation rates following an FDA hepatotoxicity warning.
Keywords: adverse drug reactions; patient safety; prescribing.
© 2015 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.