Comparative study of prescribing patterns of tigecycline for trial patients versus non-trial patients

Comparing published trial patients and non-trial patients in clinical practice, clinicians often doubt whether critically ill patients are sufficiently represented in randomised clinical trials. This study evaluated the extent of infection with multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, anti-microbial combination therapy, off-label use and targeted-treatment in trial patients versus non-trial patients. Tigecycline therapy was prescribed for off-label use in more than half of the non-trial patients; 77% of trial patients received study medication as first-line therapy in contrast to 25% of non-trial patients (p