Agomelatine Drug Utilisation Study in Selected European Countries: A Multinational, Observational Study to Assess Effectiveness of Risk-Minimisation Measures

Abstract

Hepatotoxic reactions are an important identified risk listed in the agomelatine risk management plan. This post-authorisation safety study evaluated the effectiveness of additional risk-minimisation measures (aRMMs) for agomelatine. The objective of this study was to evaluate, among physicians prescribing agomelatine and their patients, liver function monitoring adherence, compliance with contraindications and patients' reasons for non-compliance with liver monitoring. A non-interventional cohort study was conducted among adults initiating agomelatine in routine clinical practice in Denmark, France, Germany and Spain through a retrospective medical record abstraction (MRA) before and after implementation of aRMMs and a cross-sectional patient survey. Fifty-four sites contributed data on 437 and 404 patients in the before- and after-RMM periods, and 237 patients completed the survey. No patient had cirrhosis in either study period; 98.2% of patients in the before- and 98.0% in the after-RMM period had no active liver disease reported at initiation or during treatment. Compliance to contraindicated medications was > 99% in both periods. The adherence to the liver-monitoring regimen was similar in both periods (15.1% before RMM and 16.3% after RMM). In the after-RMM period, 25.2% of patients had a liver test before or at treatment initiation; 61.5% had a liver test during treatment. Among patients surveyed who did not have a blood test before treatment initiation or during treatment, the most frequently cited reason was a test ordered but not yet performed. The overall adherence to liver-monitoring recommendations remained weakly influenced by aRMMs. However, patients treated with agomelatine are in compliance with relevant contraindications.