Regulatory Framework Implementation for the Prescription of Zolpidem in France, What Impact in the Older People?

Abstract

Background: Zolpidem is one of the most prescribed hypnotic drugs. In 2001, the World Health Organization alerted a risk of pharmacodependence associated with zolpidem. The French health authority decided in 2017 to enforce security on the prescription of zolpidem to reduce those risks. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of regulatory framework implementation, secure prescription pad, on the prevalence and incidence of prescriptions of zolpidem according to the age. Methods: This study was based on an observational study using the French healthcare data system. Two age categories were defined: “younger” and “older” (<65 years, ≥65 years); in order to study the evolution of prevalence and incidence of zolpidem use in our two groups, two periods were defined, before and after the implementation of the measure. Results: The prevalence decreased in the younger population by 51% (4012 vs. 7948 consumers), while that of the older population decreased by 42% (4151 vs. 7282). This difference in our two groups, with a greater decrease in the younger people, is statistically significant compared to the older people. Conclusion: Our study showed that regulatory framework implementation and mandatory secure prescription pad is more effective for decreasing prevalence of zolpidem prescription for younger people compared to older people.