Potential drug-drug interactions in paediatric outpatient prescriptions in Nigeria and implications for the future

Background: Information regarding the incidence of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and adverse drug events (ADEs) among paediatric patients in Nigeria is limited. Methods: Prospective clinical audit among paediatric outpatients in four general hospitals in Nigeria over a 3-month period. Details of ADEs documented in case files was extracted. Results: Among 1233 eligible patients, 208 (16.9%) received prescriptions with at least one potential DDI. Seven drug classes were implicated with antimalarial combination therapies predominating. Exposure mostly to a single potential DDI, commonly involved promethazine, artemether/lumefantrine, ciprofloxacin and artemether/lumefantrine. Exposure mostly to major and serious, and moderate and clinically significant, potential DDIs. Overall exposure similar across all age groups and across genders. A significant association was seen between severity of potential DDIs and age. Only 48 (23.1%) of these patients presented at follow-up clinics with only 15 reporting ADEs. Conclusion: There was exposure to potential DDIs in this population. However, potential DDIs were associated with only a few reported ADEs.