Inputs of pharmacoepidemiology in addictovigilance: How do they fit together?

Abstract

The French Addictovigilance Network has been using data from the French Heath insurance since the late 1990s to assess prescription drug abuse. In this narrative review, we illustrate the inputs of pharmacoepidemiology in addictovigilance based on the experience of the French Addictovigilance Network. The review focuses on pharmacoepidemiology using the French National Health Data System. We propose three examples: the MEGADOSE study, which aimed to conduct the first nation-wide, systematic, repeated assessment of doctor shopping; the DANTE study, which aimed to assess trends in analgesic use, focusing on the prevalence of use and the demographic profiles of analgesic users by age and sex; and the ZORRO study, which aimed to assess the impact of secure prescription forms on the use of zolpidem and other sedatives. These examples show how pharmacoepidemiology fits in the multifaceted monitoring conducted by the French Addictovigilance Network and complements the other data sources of this framework. This approach improves signal detection, confirmation, and quantification. It also makes it possible to overcome the limitations of each data source taken individually.