Carvalho Fabiana, Tonon André Comiran, Hidalgo Maria Paz, Martins Costa Manuela, Mengue Sotero Serrate
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Laboratório de Cronobiologia e Sono, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Front Pharmacol. 2024 Nov 11;15:1405838. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1405838. eCollection 2024.
The study aimed to evaluate Zolpidem and Benzodiazepines prescription and dispensing data in private pharmacies in Brazil from 2014 to 2021. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was carried out with retrospective open data from the Brazilian Federal Government from January 2014 to August 2021 containing medicines registered in the National Controlled Products Management System (SNGPC).
Between January 2014 and August 2021, a total of 32,441,392 sales of thirteen drugs from the z-drug and benzodiazepine classes used to treat sleep disorders were recorded in Brazil. Throughout the entire period, clonazepam emerged as the most popular drug, accounting for 29.8% of total sales. Alprazolam followed in second place with 20.6% of sales, while zolpidem came in third with 14.4%. The normal-release form of zolpidem was consistently the highest-selling variant during the evaluation period. However, the fast-acting-release form exhibited the most significant growth, indicated by a noticeable upward trend in sales since 2020. In contrast, the extended-release form of zolpidem remained stable over the years.
The increased sales of zolpidem in Brazilian private pharmacies raise concerns about potential misuse and dependence on this drug mainly for the treatment of insomnia. The epidemic of sleeping pills arises in a scenario of expectancy of short-term amelioration of symptoms, with no correspondence in best clinical practice. Education and counseling for both healthcare professionals and the general population are essential to address this growing health concern and ensure the safe and appropriate use of medications for sleep disorders.
本研究旨在评估2014年至2021年巴西私立药店中唑吡坦和苯二氮䓬类药物的处方和配药数据。方法：本回顾性队列研究采用了巴西联邦政府2014年1月至2021年8月的回顾性公开数据，这些数据包含在国家管制产品管理系统（SNGPC）中注册的药品。
2014年1月至2021年8月期间，巴西共记录了用于治疗睡眠障碍的13种Z类药物和苯二氮䓬类药物销售32441392次。在整个期间，氯硝西泮成为最受欢迎的药物，占总销售额的29.8%。阿普唑仑以20.6%的销售额位居第二，而唑吡坦以14.4%的销售额位居第三。在评估期间，唑吡坦的普通释放剂型一直是销量最高的变体。然而，速释剂型的增长最为显著，自2020年以来销售额呈明显上升趋势。相比之下，唑吡坦的缓释剂型多年来保持稳定。
巴西私立药店中唑吡坦销售额的增加引发了对该药物可能被滥用以及主要用于治疗失眠的依赖性的担忧。安眠药的流行出现在期望短期缓解症状的情况下，这与最佳临床实践并不相符。对医疗保健专业人员和普通民众进行教育和咨询对于解决这一日益严重的健康问题以及确保安全、适当地使用治疗睡眠障碍的药物至关重要。
