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CompletedNCT02830178Updated Oct 11, 2016

A Study of Channeling in the Use of Nonprescription Paracetamol and Ibuprofen in an Electronic Medical Records Database: Evidence and Implications

An observational study in Hemorrhage, Gastrointestinal, Myocardial Infarction and Stroke, sponsored by Janssen Research & Development, LLC. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2016-10-11.

Sponsored by Janssen Research & Development, LLC · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
144,337
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

The Purpose of this study is to examine whether evidence of channeling exists by analyzing within a cohort of participants with first prescriptions of single-ingredient paracetamol or ibuprofen (or both) whether participants with paracetamol were more likely to have an ibuprofen-related contraindication.

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Conditions studied

  • Hemorrhage, Gastrointestinal
  • Myocardial Infarction
  • Stroke
  • Kidney Diseases
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In context

Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage

339 studies on the registry are indexed under Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage; 79 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 144,337 is above the median of 200 across 116 observational studies indexed under Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage.

Browse Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage studies →

Lead sponsor

Janssen Research & Development, LLC is the lead sponsor of 912 studies on the registry; 76 are open to participants now.

Of its 278 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 131 (47%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

The study population is a cohort of participants 18 and over who received a first prescription of single-ingredient paracetamol or ibuprofen in 2012.

Inclusion criteria

  • Enrolled in up-to-standard practices (practices that have been qualified for research purposes by the Clinical Practice Research Datalink [CPRD] administrators) in the CPRD
  • Received a first prescription for paracetamol or a first prescription for ibuprofen in 2012
  • Were age 18 or older in the date of their qualifying prescription in 2012

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Who received a prescription for paracetamol or ibuprofen in the 6 months prior to their qualifying prescription in 2012
  • Who received a prescription for any acetaminophen- or ibuprofen-containing combination products in the 6 months prior to the qualifying prescription in 2012
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Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
144,337 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Any Paracetamol

    Participants with age 18 and over who received a first prescription of single-ingredient paracetamol or ibuprofen in 2012 will be enrolled. Their status with respect to prior gastrointestinal bleeding, myocardial infarction, stroke, or kidney disease will be assessed based on the presence or absence of a diagnosis in the 2 years prior to the index date. This observational study will evaluate whether new users of paracetamol have a higher prevalence of certain conditions (gastrointestinal bleeding, myocardial infarction, stroke or kidney disease) in their history when compared to new users of ibuprofen, propensity scores and outcome models.

  • Ibuprofen

    Participants with age 18 and over who received a first prescription of single-ingredient ibuprofen in 2012 will be enrolled. Their status with respect to prior gastrointestinal bleeding, myocardial infarction, stroke, or kidney disease will be assessed based on the presence or absence of a diagnosis in the 2 years prior to the index date. This observational study will evaluate whether new users of paracetamol have a higher prevalence of certain conditions (gastrointestinal bleeding, myocardial infarction, stroke or kidney disease) in their history when compared to new users of ibuprofen, propensity scores and outcome models.

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Evidence of Channeling as Measured by an Odds-ratio Different From 1.0 for Contraindications to Ibuprofen Comparing Paracetamol and Ibuprofen Groups

    Participants receiving first prescriptions of single-ingredient paracetamol or ibuprofen will be assessed to analyze whether participants with paracetamol were more likely to have had an ibuprofen-related contraindication than participants with ibuprofen.

    Time frame: up to 7 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Propensity Score Model

    The potential to control for channeling bias will be examined. It will also assess whether there will be sufficient overlap in propensity scores to allow for adequate adjustment to control for bias due to channeling. The propensity score is the estimated probability of receiving a treatment (paracetamol), based on the available data, ranges from 0 to 1. The higher the score, the more likely to be treated with paracetamol.

    Time frame: up to 7 months

  2. Extent of Bias as Measured by an Odds-ratio Different From 1.0 for the Covariate Indicating Exposure to Paracetamol or Ibuprofen in the Negative Control Outcome Models

    Relative risks for paracetamol versus ibuprofen for the 31 negative control outcomes should be 1.0 if there is no bias. A series of models with increasing numbers of covariates will be fit to measure the extent to which covariates can diminish the impact of bias.

    Time frame: up to 7 months

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Study locations

1 site
  • Raritan, New Jersey, United States
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References and documents

Publications

  • Weinstein RB, Ryan P, Berlin JA, Matcho A, Schuemie M, Swerdel J, Patel K, Fife D. Channeling in the Use of Nonprescription Paracetamol and Ibuprofen in an Electronic Medical Records Database: Evidence and Implications. Drug Saf. 2017 Dec;40(12):1279-1292. doi: 10.1007/s40264-017-0581-7. PubMed 28780741 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 11, 2016, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02830178
Lead sponsor
Janssen Research & Development, LLC
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jul 12, 2016
Start date
Jan 2016
Primary completion
Sep 2016
Completion
Sep 2016
Last update
Oct 11, 2016

Study contacts

Janssen Research & Development, LLC Clinical Trial
study director · Janssen Research & Development, LLC

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2016. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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