The Medicines Intelligence Data Platform: A Population-Based Data Resource From New South Wales, Australia

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pharmaceutical Science
• Public Health

Background:

• The Medicines Intelligence (MedIntel) Data Platform is an Australian anonymised linked data resource.
• It is designed to generate real-world evidence on prescribed medicine use, effectiveness, safety, costs, and cost-effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a comprehensive data platform for real-world evidence generation on medicines in Australia.
• To support research into clinically and policy-relevant questions regarding medication use and health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• The platform links administrative data for Medicare-eligible adults (≥18 years) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, from 2005-2020.
• Data sources include Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, Medicare Benefits Schedule, emergency department visits, hospitalisations, death registrations, and cancer registrations.
• The cohort includes 7.4 million unique individuals, representing 36.9% of the Australian adult population.

Main Results:

• In 2019, 73.3% of the cohort (4.4 million people) were dispensed a medicine.
• The most prevalent dispensed medicines were anti-infectives (43.1%), followed by nervous system (32.2%) and cardiovascular system (30.2%) medications.
• The platform covers 7.4 million unique individuals, with data updated annually.

Conclusions:

• The MedIntel Data Platform facilitates national and international research collaborations.
• It enables the investigation of contemporary, clinically and policy-relevant research questions.
• The platform is crucial for advancing understanding of medicine use and health outcomes in Australia and globally.