Mometasone furoate

Context

This codelist was developed to identify prescriptions of mometasone 50 micrograms/dose nasal spray recorded in electronic health records for Pharmacy First. It includes the generic virtual medicinal product (VMP) and actual medicinal products (AMPs), covering both generic and branded formulations, including Nasonex, Clarinaze Allergy Control, Clarinaze Hayfever Relief, and manufacturer-specific mometasone nasal spray products. The codelist is intended for studies requiring identification of exposure to intranasal mometasone, such as analyses of medication prescribing patterns, treatment utilisation, pharmacological exposure, and clinical outcomes associated with intranasal corticosteroid therapy. It may also be used more broadly in routinely collected healthcare data to identify patients prescribed mometasone 50 micrograms/dose nasal spray.

Inclusion/exclusion criteria

The codelist includes SNOMED CT medication concepts representing mometasone 50 micrograms/dose nasal spray. Included concepts cover the generic VMP and AMP entries corresponding to branded products and different manufacturers, including Nasonex, Clarinaze Allergy Control, Clarinaze Hayfever Relief, and generic mometasone nasal spray preparations. Products were included when they contained the same active ingredient (mometasone), strength (50 micrograms per dose), and route of administration (nasal spray). Products containing other corticosteroid ingredients, different strengths, alternative formulations, combination products without mometasone as the active ingredient, or non-nasal preparations were excluded.

Borderline cases

No major borderline cases were identified during codelist development. Manufacturer-specific AMP concepts were included because the active ingredient, dose, and formulation are equivalent, and differences mainly reflect variations in suppliers and prescribing system records. Branded products such as Nasonex and Clarinaze formulations were included because they represent the same clinical exposure as generic mometasone 50 micrograms/dose nasal spray. Other corticosteroid nasal sprays or mometasone products with different strengths or routes of administration were excluded because they may represent different therapeutic exposures.

Sensitivity vs specificity

The aim of this codelist is to maximise specificity by identifying prescriptions specifically for mometasone 50 micrograms/dose nasal spray. The codelist focuses on confirmed medication concepts rather than all intranasal corticosteroids or all treatments used for similar indications. This approach minimises exposure misclassification and is appropriate for studies where accurate identification of mometasone nasal spray use is required.

Additional information

This codelist includes both VMP and AMP concepts to improve capture of medication records across different electronic prescribing systems. Manufacturer-specific products were retained because prescriptions may be recorded using either generic or branded medication entries. The codelist identifies medication exposure only and does not indicate the clinical indication for treatment, such as allergic rhinitis or nasal inflammatory conditions. Regular review is recommended to ensure that newly introduced equivalent products are captured and that the codelist remains aligned with current medication coding practices.