Recent trends in the prescribing of cholesterol lowering drugs in Australia. A report from the Drug Utilization Subcommittee of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee
Henry, D.A.; Cully, L.R.; Grigson, T.; Lee, C.
Medical Journal of Australia 155(5): 332-336
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-729X PMID: 1895979 Document Number: 373368
Objective: To determine the recent pattern of use of hypolipidaemic drugs in the Australian community. Design: Drug utilization study employing prescription data collected during the operation of the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Setting: Non-hospital drug use in Australia. Patients: All patients, pensioners and non-pensioners, who received prescriptions for hypolipidaemic agents under the PBS betwen January 1987 and December 1989. Main outcome measures: The total number of prescriptions, averaged quantity dispensed with each prescription, defined daily doses (DDD) and Australian population figures for pensioners and non-pensioners were used to express the consumption of hypolipidaemic agents as DDD/1000 individuals/day. Results: Between the March quarter 1987 and the December quarter 1989 prescribing of hypolipidaemics for the Australian community increased from 68,120 to 304,760 prescriptions per quarter, which translates to arise in use from 1.2 to 5.2 DDD/1000 inhabitats/day. This included a rise in the use of clofibrate from 0.6 to 2.6 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day, and of cholestyramine from 0.6 to 1.9 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day. Prescribing of hypolipidaemics for pensioners increased from 29,569 to 123,440 prescriptions per quarter. This translated into a rise in use from 3.7 to 14.8 DDD/1000 pensioners/day. Notable rises were seen for clofibrate, 1.9 to 8.1 DDD/1000 pensioners/day, and cholestyramine, 1.6 to 4.7 DDD/1000 pensioners/day. In comparisons published data from the Nordic countries and the United States showed a lower overall se of hypolipidaemics and declining consuption of clofibrate. Conclusions: The trend in Australia was unusual in that the use of clofibrate increase to a greater extent than that of the resins, cholestyramine and colestipol which are generally preferred for treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Possible reasons for this include: the better tolerability of clofibrate; its readier availability during the study period; the recommendation by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee that clofibrate was the preferred drug when triglyceride levels were also elevated and the limited availability of newer hypolipidaemic agents.