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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Pharmacoepidemiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1405838

Dispensing of Zolpidem and Benzodiazepines in Brazilian Private Pharmacies: A Retrospective Cohort Study from 2014 to 2021

Provisionally accepted
Fabiana Carvalho Fabiana Carvalho 1André Comiran Tonon André Comiran Tonon 2MARIA PAZ HIDALGO MARIA PAZ HIDALGO 2Manuela M. Costa Manuela M. Costa 1Sotero S. Mengue Sotero S. Mengue 1*
  • 1 Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
  • 2 Chronobiology and Sleep Laboratory, Clinical Hospital of Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: 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).Results: 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 highestselling 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.

    Keywords: zolpidem, Z-drugs, Benzodiazepines, Sleep Disorders, insomnia, Psychotropic Drugs, Pharmacoepidemiology

    Received: 23 Mar 2024; Accepted: 28 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Carvalho, Comiran Tonon, HIDALGO, Costa and Mengue. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sotero S. Mengue, Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.