Meds75+

The purpose of the Meds75+ is to support the clinical decision-making on the pharmacotherapy of adults over 75 years of age and to improve medication safety in primary health care. Continuously updated Meds75+ contains classification and recommendation for almost 450-500 drug substances or their combinations when used in older adults.

The Meds75+ is maintained by the Finnish Medicines Agency, Fimea. The Meds75+ is available for everyone free of charge in Fimea’s Medicine’s Search.

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Frequently asked questions

Content of the Meds75+

The drug substances are classified into categories A, B, C and D. The category indicates how suitable the substance is for adults over 75 years of age. The categories are based on a multidisciplinary clinical consensus. The expert group will update the information cards at least once every three years or when necessary.

• A (green):

Suitable for older adults. Drug substance can be used as in younger patients. Changes due to aging do not affect the dose or dosing frequency. Adverse effects are not different from that of younger patients.

• B (grey):

Current evidence on or experience with use in older adults is inconclusive or the medicine is insufficiently effective in the older adults.

• C (yellow):

Suitable for older adults, with specific precautions. Drug substance can be used with consideration. Dose or dosing frequency must be adjusted due to age-related changes and/or decreased renal function. A significant risk of interactions or adverse effects may be associated with the use of substance.

• D (red):

Avoid use in older adults. Risk of adverse effects typically exceeds the benefits. Can be used only in exceptional cases.

• No classification:

The drug is not classified in the Meds75+. The Meds75+ contains the most common medicines used in primary health care in the treatment of those aged 75 or over. The Meds75+ does not contain only medicines used in the hospital, intravenously administered medicines, cancer medicines, vaccines, products requiring special permits and medicines only used in connection with procedures or special situations.

The recommendation texts for each substance contains information on the effects and dosing of the substance and the most typical adverse reactions and interactions. The recommendation text does not contain indications or contraindications.

Other criteria for the pharmacotherapy of older people (Beers, STOPP/START, EU(7)-PIM, Sweden’s indicators on pharmacotherapy for older people, STOPPFall, PRISCUS, NORGEP) have been taken into account in the preparation of the database.

Using the Meds75+

The Meds75+ is available to everyone free of charge and is primarily intended for use by physicians and other healthcare professionals. The Meds75+ is available in Finnish, Swedish and English. It must be borne in mind that individual cases might require the use of category D medicinal products. The pharmacotherapy must be started, changed or discontinued under the supervision of a physician.

The content of the Meds75+ is available as open data. Read more on the terms and conditions for Fimea's open data licences CC BY 4.0.

Database:

Meds75+
Meds75+ (schema and info)
Meds75+ (XML)