ArticleBMJ open2025
Widening access to isotretinoin in primary care: an evaluation of New Zealand national dispensing data for isotretinoin for acne, 2008-2023.
Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Management of Acne in General Practice using Isotretinoin: A Scoping Review Protocol.HRB open research · 2026Article
- Competencies and clinical guidelines for managing acne with isotretinoin in general practice: a scoping review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Adverse Effects and Precautionary Measures for Isotretinoin Use in Patients with Acne Vulgaris: A Single-Center Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo identify what changes in the prescribing of isotretinoin have occurred since funded prescriber access was widened in 2009 from 'dermatologist only' prescribing to include 'general practitioners (GPs) and nurse practitioners working within their scope of practice'.
designEvaluation of isotretinoin dispensing data from 2008 to 2023 using the national annual prescribing data obtained from the New Zealand Pharmaceutical National Collection database.
settingAll New Zealand citizens prescribed and dispensed funded isotretinoin for acne from 2008 to 2023 were included.
main outcome measuresThe prescribing data were analysed to identify the total number of prescriptions per year by prescribing clinician type, patient ethnicity and deprivation levels.
resultsIn 2008, nearly 100% (26 897) of dispensed prescriptions were written by a dermatologist, while in 2023, 79% (39 432) were written by primary care clinicians. Annual isotretinoin prescriptions increased by 87%, from 26 897 (2008) to 50 613 (2023). Prescriptions for Māori increased from 1750 in 2008 to 4374 in 2023, with similar increases for other ethnic minorities.
conclusionExpanding the prescriber cohort has resulted in a substantial increase in prescriptions, with primary care now issuing the majority of isotretinoin prescriptions. These data demonstrate that the GP workforce can absorb and manage the additional acne workload from the increasing population. Enhanced access for patients suggests an unmet need. An absolute number of prescriptions have risen faster for Māori and Asian patients than for Europeans. Pacific people were generally lower than Europeans. This suggests the longstanding ethnic disparity in access to isotretinoin is partially reduced.Many countries have restrictions on patient access to isotretinoin, similar to New Zealand in 2008. This is the first study demonstrating that, given appropriate postgraduate education and support, the isotretinoin risk-benefit profile may be enhanced to safely deliver high-quality, timely, equitable patient access to isotretinoin in primary care.
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