Outpatient Fluoroquinolone Prescription Fills in the United States, 2014 to 2020: Assessing the Impact of Food and Drug Administration Safety Warnings

The impact of United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety warnings on outpatient fluoroquinolone use is unclear. Annual changes in outpatient ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin prescription fills (IQVIA National Prescription Audit databases) were assessed using a regression model. Monthly fills during baseline (August 2014 to April 2016) and first (May 2016 to June 2018) and second FDA warning periods (July 2018 to February 2020) were compared by interrupted time series analysis. From 2015 through 2019, total fluoroquinolone fills decreased from 35,616,786 (111.1/1,000 persons) to 21,100,050 (64.3/1,000 persons) annually (10.8% annually [P = 0.001]). Ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin fills decreased annually by 10.4% (P = 0.001), 11.2% (P, 0.001), and 17.7% (P = 0.008), respectively. During the baseline period, there was no significant change in monthly fluoroquinolone fills. In May 2016 and during the first warning period, monthly fluoroquinolone fills decreased significantly (P < 0.001); the trend of decreased fills was significantly greater than that of the baseline period (P = 0.02). There was no change in fluoroquinolone fills in July 2018. Monthly fills decreased significantly throughout the second warning period (P < 0.001), but the trend did not differ from that of the first warning period. Trends for ciprofloxacin, the most commonly prescribed fluoroquinolone, were similar to those for the class. Fills of prescriptions by infectious diseases specialists (P < 0.005) and nurse practitioners (P = 0.04) significantly increased during the study. U.S. outpatient fluoroquinolone prescription fills significantly decreased from August 2014 to February 2020, most strongly in association with May 2016 FDA warnings. FDA safety warnings are useful tools for leveraging outpatient antimicrobial stewardship.

Automated summary

Outpatient fluoroquinolone prescription fills in the United States significantly decreased from 2015 to 2019, with the most notable decline observed following the FDA warnings in May 2016. FDA safety warnings prove to be effective in reducing outpatient antimicrobial usage.