The role of pharmacoepidemiological studies in the market withdrawal of carisoprodol (Somadril®) in Europe, 167-172

Abstract

Carisoprodol is a centrally acting muscle relaxant that has been marketed in Europe for more than 45 years. In November 2007 the European Medicines Association recommended suspension of all carisoprodol containing products in all EU countries. During recent years, several observational studies on carisoprodol have been published by our group, which works in the field of traffic medicine and pharmacoepidemiological research in general. In this paper, we review the role pharmacoepidemiological studies on carisoprodol played in providing evidence for the risk of psychomotor impairment and traffic accidents, intoxications and abuse. These issues have been important for decisions about the regulation of carisoprodol. Key words: pharmacoepidemiology, carisoprodol, drug abuse, impairment, intoxication