OPINION article
Frontiers in Pharmacology, 28 April 2021
Collaboration Between Health-Care Professionals, Patients, and National Competent Authorities Is Crucial for Prevention of Health Risks Linked to the Inappropriate Use of Drugs : A Position Paper of the ANSM (Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des Produits de Santé)
All stakeholders, from patients to health-care professionals and regulatory agencies, agree to promote “proper drug use” and to fight against “misuse” (Garfinkel and Bilek, 2020 ; Nothelle et al., 2017). Misuse is a concept covering different situations which are summarized in Figure 1, including unintentional medication errors, poisoning, or recreational use. Such situations will not be considered in our discussion. For intentional prescriptions with therapeutic goals, defining the boundary between appropriate and inappropriate use could be challenging. Intentional off label use for therapeutic purposes can be appropriate in a specific clinical context if supported by a recommendation, consensus, or scientific data. Inappropriate use is therefore defined as unjustified intentional use, and this situation is one of the main concerns tackled by the ANSM (the French drug agency) and calls for collective action.