Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39644755›Full record

ArticleThe International journal on drug policy2025

Trends in prescription opioid analgesic use in Australia from 2015 to 2022.

Kendal Chidwick, Chrianna Bharat, Natasa Gisev, Alys Havard, Ximena Camacho, Sallie-Anne Pearson, Louisa Degenhardt

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Article in The International journal on drug policy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Kendal ChidwickNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: k.chidwick@unsw.edu.au.
Chrianna BharatNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Natasa GisevNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Alys HavardNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Medicines Intelligence Research Program, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW Australia.
Ximena CamachoMedicines Intelligence Research Program, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW Australia.
Sallie-Anne PearsonMedicines Intelligence Research Program, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW Australia.
Louisa DegenhardtNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Funding

TRANSFORM - Transforming the evidence base on estimating prevalence of opioid use disorder and expanded access to interventions to prevent drug related deaths: an international data linkage studyR01DA059822 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES · PI Joshua Adam Barocas, Louisa Degenhardt · 2024 to 2026
$2.3M
NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA059822
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRecent 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.

methodsOur 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. We measured total units of each opioid sold/dispensed, converted into oral morphine equivalent milligrams (OME)/1000 population/day. We estimated private dispensings/public hospitals use by subtracting PBS OME from total OME sold. We calculated hospital OME using sales to hospitals. We assessed annual trends using Joinpoint regression.

resultsBetween 2015 and 2022 total prescribed opioid analgesic use decreased by 21.2 % , from 1231.4 to 970.6 OME/1000/day (-3.4% per year, p < 0.001). Between 2015 and 2022, PBS dispensing claims decreased by -353.4 OME/1000/day, from 1061.7 to 708.4 OME/1000/day (-5.9 % per year; p < 0.001). In contrast, private dispensings/public hospital use increased by +92.5 OME/1000/day, from 169.7 to 262.3 OME/1000/day (+6.7 % per year; p < 0.001). The contribution of private dispensings/public hospital use to total prescribed opioid analgesic use doubled between 2015 and 2022 from 13.8 % to 27.0 %. Opioid use in hospitals remained stable (-1.1 % per year, p = 0.07), accounting for 8 to 10 % of total use between 2015 and 2022. DISCUSSION: 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. Comparing multiple data sources provides a comprehensive account of prescribed opioid analgesic use in Australia.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidPractice Patterns, Physicians'AustraliaDrug PrescriptionsHumansAnalgesics, OpioidAnalgesicsAustraliaCommunity/general practiceDrug utilisationHospitalOpioidsPharmacoepidemiologyPrivate market

Identifiers

PMID39644755
PMCPMC12021341

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.