Nearly Two-Thirds of Vitamin B12 Injections in Older Adults May Be Unnecessary

According to new research, 64 percent of vitamin B12 injections in older adults may be unnecessary, creating millions of dollars in needless health costs, reports Healio . The Canada-based research team completed a population-based retrospective cohort study using information from Ontario health system administrative databases, ultimately studying adults aged at least 65 who had received one or more intramuscular B12 prescriptions between January 2011 and September 2015. The researchers found that 63.7 percent of intramuscular B12 prescriptions could be classified as inappropriate. Moreover, 35.3 percent of people who received technically appropriate intramuscular B12 prescriptions had only marginally deficient B12 levels. The research team estimates that $34 million are wasted every year on unnecessary B12 injection prescriptions. Daniel G. Federman, a Yale medical school professor, said the study has an interesting premise, but questioned the methodology.