Benchmarking prescription drug access patterns in pharmaceutical claims: a method for identifying high and potentially harmful opioid use in Australia and Canada?

ObjectivesWe use dispensing claims to benchmark prescriber access patterns for opioids against statins (a drug class with no known abuse potential) in Australia and British Columbia, Canada. MethodsWe used pharmaceutical claims from the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and British Columbian PharmaCare. We used individual-level claims in adults with complete capture of subsidized prescription drugs and 1 opioid or statin dispensing(s) in 2011. We report the distribution of unique opioid and statin prescribers overall, by age and jurisdiction. Key findingsIn 2011, the vast majority of persons visited one or two prescribers to access opioids and statins (Australia: 86.0% versus 91.5%; British Columbia: 90.2% versus 92.1% respectively). The proportion of persons accessing 4 prescribers was higher for persons dispensed opioids compared to statins (Australia: 6.5% versus 1.3%; British Columbia: 4.2% versus 1.7% respectively). For opioids, a greater proportion of persons aged <65 years accessed 4 opioid prescribers compared to their older counterparts (65 years); these differences were more pronounced in British Columbians receiving income assistance. ConclusionsBenchmarking the entire spectrum of use for specific prescription drug classes could provide a useful tool for informing postmarket surveillance activities and may identify potentially problematic drug access behaviour(s).