Pharmacy Daily | Drop in opioid prescribing

AUSTRALIA'S use of prescription opioid painkillers dropped by 21% between 2015 and 2022, according to a new analysis.

The trend was driven by a 33% reduction in Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) dispensing claims for opioids, but the decline was partially offset by a 55% jump in private scripts.

The decline in PBS prescribing is seen as a win for government measures to curb the use, which included introducing smaller pack sizes, restrictions on repeat scripts and real-time prescription monitoring, with the aim of halving opioid-related harms over the five years to 2025.

Hospital use of opioid painkillers also decreased over the same time period, although restrictions on elective surgery due to COVID contributed to this.

However, the increase in private scripts has raised concerns.

"While Australia has reduced its overall consumption of opioid analgesics, our findings indicate a significant rise in private prescriptions, which come with higher out-of-pocket costs for people in pain," said author and pharmacoepidemiologist, Kendal Chidwick from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

"Reasons for the increase in private market use may include accessing opioids that are not subsidised under the PBS, or efforts to avoid the PBS restrictions altogether," Chidwick said.

The analysis also showed that tapentadol has replaced oxycodone as the most commonly prescribed opioid in Australia.

"Preferencing tapentadol for postoperative pain, due to perceived benefits, may be contributing to its increasing use despite limited evidence on the comparative safety of tapentadol and oxycodone post-surgery," Chidwick said.

However, the number of Australians initiating PBS-subsidised tapentadol had reduced and "may stabilise as the market matures", she added.

You can read the paper HERE. KB