Comparison of Prescribing Information for Elderly Patients on Drug Labels in Japan, the United States, and Europe.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the prescribing information for elderly patients on drug labels in Japan, the United States (U.S.), and Europe to suggest improvements in Japanese package inserts.

Methods: We surveyed drug labeling regulations in the three regions and selected 39 new drugs approved in Japan between 2012 and 2023 for diseases common in the elderly and approved in the U.S. and Europe. We examined the prescribing information for elderly patients such as dose adjustment instructions and comparison of safety profiles by age.

Results: The results revealed that 7.7% of Japanese package inserts provided dosage adjustment instruction for elderly patients, compared with 46.2% and 79.5% of U.S. and European drug labels, respectively. Regarding safety profile comparisons between age groups, 30.8% of Japanese package inserts included this information compared with 94.9% and 23.1% of U.S. and European drug labels, respectively. No Japanese package inserts listed the number of elderly patients included in clinical trials; whereas this information appeared on 89.7% of U.S. labels and 7.7% of European summaries of product characteristics.

Conclusions: Japanese package inserts provide less prescribing information for elderly patients than U.S. and European drug labels. To promote appropriate drug use among elderly patients in Japan, package inserts should be improved by incorporating sufficient information, such as clear dosage adjustment instructions and differences in safety profiles by age groups. These enhancements would align Japanese package inserts with international quality, providing healthcare professionals with more comprehensive drug prescribing information for treating elderly patients.