PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 405 - 29 Mar 2003

Atypical antipsychotics: ethnicdifferences in prescribing

Ethnic differences in atypical antipsychoticprescribing were prominent in the US during the early1990’s; however, the disparities declined as theprevalence of these medications increased over thedecade, say researchers from that country.

They used 1992–2000 NAMCS and NHAMCS* data toexamine the relationship between patient ethnicity andthe use of clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine orquetiapine from a random sample of US outpatientphysician visits. During the 1992–1994 period, theoverall adjusted odds of receiving an atypicalantipsychotic prescription were 50% and 40% lower forAfrican Americans and Hispanics than for Whites,respectively. However, the proportion of atypicalantipsychotic prescriptions increased across allethnicities from 1995, and, during the 1998–2000period, the overall odds of receiving an atypicalantipsychotic were similar for all ethnicities. One"concerning" exception was the 25% lower odds ofreceiving an atypical antipsychotic for African Americansthan for Whites during physician visits for psychoticdisorders in the 1998–2000 period, the researchersnote.* NAMCS = National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey; NHAMCS =National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey

Daumit GL, et al. Outpatient prescriptions for atypical antipsychotics for AfricanAmericans, Hispanics, and Whites in the United States. Archives of GeneralPsychiatry 60: 121-128, Feb 2003 800933626

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PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 29 Mar 2003 No. 4051173-5503/10/0405-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved