Meds75+ database arouses international interest

The Meds75+ database maintained by Fimea and the utilisation of the data content have also aroused interest outside Finland. In order to respond to the international interest, an expert working group coordinated by Fimea has published an article describing the data production process and content of the Meds75+ database.

The Meds75+ database supports the clinical decision-making on the pharmacotherapy of people over 75 years of age and improves medication safety.

Meds75+ is currently integrated into at least the basic register of the Latvian pharmaceutical authority and the patient information system used in Central Norway (Helseplattformen). Several other countries have also shown interest in the data content of Meds75+. 

“There are discussions on the utilisation of Meds75+, for example, with an Estonian producer of medicines databases. There have also been enquiries about research cooperation from elsewhere in Europe,” says Johanna Jyrkkä, Research and Development Specialist at Fimea. 

Meds75+ is available to everyone free of charge and is primarily intended for use by physicians and other healthcare professionals. It is available as open data in Finnish, Swedish and English. 

The data content of Meds75+ differs from corresponding international recommendations

As the population ages, professionals are increasingly encountering older patients in health care. 

“This emphasises the importance of fast and easy-to-use information,” says Jyrkkä.

Meds75+ contains recommendations on the suitability of over 400 medicines used in primary health care for older people. Its information content differs from similar recommendations published abroad.

“Open and free access, integration with health care information systems and decision-making support, drug-specific recommendation texts independent of the therapeutic indication, and continuous updates separate Meds75+ from similar international databases,” says Jyrkkä. 

She also estimates that this explains the international interest in the database produced by Fimea.

Each medicinal substance is processed and re-evaluated at least once every three years. The updates are the responsibility of a multiprofessional expert group that includes experts in pharmacotherapy for older people working in health care and universities in different parts of Finland.

More information

Jyrkkä J, Paulamäki J, Hartikainen S, Ahonen J, Antikainen R, Jauhonen HM, Jämsen E, Kössi A, Laurila J, Roitto HM, Söderling R, Tiihonen M, Huupponen R. Prescribing Appropriate Medicines to Older Adults: A Finnish Experience with the Web-Based Meds75+ Database. Drugs & Aging. 2024; 41(8): 665–674. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-024-01131-y 

How is the database of medicines suitable for older people created? (Sic.fimea.fi, in Finnish)