Ophthalmic dispensing patterns in New Zealand: a ten-year review

Aimed to examine national dispensing patterns of ophthalmic medications in New Zealand over a ten-year period, focusing on demographic and regional variation.

This nationwide population-level retrospective study analysed dispensing data for all Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC)-subsidised ophthalmic medications between 1-January-2012 to 31-December-2021. Medications were classified into seven classes. Dispensing rates were compared by age, gender, ethnicity, and region.

10,941,081 dispensing events were recorded, increasing by 36% from 2012 to 2021. Chloramphenicol, Latanoprost, and Hypromellose with Dextran were the most dispensed agents. Anti-infective agents were mostly dispensed to the youngest and oldest age groups, dry eye and anti-inflammatory agents were dispensed mostly to females, and glaucoma medications were predominantly dispensed to older individuals. Age-adjusted rates demonstrated inequities for Māori, who accounted for 16.5% of the population but only 8% of dispensing events. Māori had consistently lower dispensing rates across most medication classes compared to European and the other ethnicity group, which included individuals identifying as any ethnicity other than Māori, European, or Pasifika, including Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, African, and all other ethnicities. Variation by geographic region was noted, with six of 20 regions exceeding the national mean dispensing rate of 246.42 per 1000 population per year.

A substantial increase in dispensing of ophthalmic medications occurred in New Zealand over this 10-year period with significant variation by demographics. The inequity in dispensing rates for Māori is concerning and may contribute to healthcare inequity. These findings affirm the need for targeted strategies to improve equitable access to ophthalmic care and medications.