second-line drugs

[Roberta7638]

Any therapeutic agent that is not the drug of choice, or the 1st normally used to treat a particular condition.

Is this the unique definition?
Does anybody know how to translate this into italian?

The full sentence is:
" Less than three-tenths of one percent had to transfer to the more expensive second-line drugs."

 

[Tellure]

Io ho trovato questo:

39. Is concerned about the high costs of new and second-line drugs to treat AIDS;

39. è preoccupato quanto ai costi elevati dei farmaci per l'AIDS nuovi e di seconda linea;

 

[Roberta7638]

I believe "second-line drugs" translates into italian as "farmaci di seconda linea".

"Meno di tre decimi dell'1% sono dovuti passare a farmaci piú cari di seconda linea."

That's how I translated anyway...

Thanks for your cooperation!

R.