Release Date
Geography
Language of Resource
Full Text Available
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Peer Reviewed
Objective
Recent measures to curb use and harms of pharmaceutical opioids in Australia have reduced dispensings of opioid analgesics for pain, under Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). But information on trends in private (self-funded) dispensings and public (government-funded) hospital opioids use is not readily available. Our study describes eight-year population-level trends in Australia's prescribed opioid analgesic use, estimating PBS dispensing claims, private dispensings and hospital use.
Findings/Key points
Prescribed opioid analgesic use declined between 2015 and 2022 because of reductions in PBS dispensing claims. A quarter of the reduction in PBS dispensing claims was offset by use outside the PBS. Our findings indicate a significant increase in private use, reasons for which may include accessing opioids not PBS-subsidised and circumventing PBS restrictions for PBS-subsidised opioids.
Design/methods
This descriptive study used two datasets covering 2015 to 2022: national IQVIA data on all (PBS/private) pharmaceutical sales to community pharmacies, hospitals and other settings, and PBS dispensing claims data for a 10 % sample of Australian residents, extrapolated to estimate national PBS claims.
