Table 1.

Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) codes and defined daily doses (DDD) for opioid analgesics included in the study

Medicine	ATC codes	Route of administration	DDD (mg)
Buprenorphine	N02AE01	P, SL, TD	1.2
Codeine	R05DA04*, N02AA59†	O	100
Dextropropoxyphene	N02AC04, N02AC54†	O	300
Fentanyl	N02AB03	SL	0.6
		TD	1.2
Hydromorphone	N02AA03	O	20
		P	4
Methadone	N07BC02‡	O, P	25
Morphine	N02AA01, N02AA51†	O	100
		P	30
Oxycodone	N02AA05, N02AA55†	O	75
		P, R	30
Pethidine	N02AB02	O, P	400
Tapentadol	N02AX06	O	400
Tramadol	N02AX02	O, P	300

^* Listings under the R05DA04 code are also used in pain.

^† Combination product.

^‡ Methadone is subsidized under the PBS for several indications: (1) Treatment of opiate dependence, (2) severe disabling pain not responding to non‐narcotic analgesics, (3) chronic severe disabling pain in palliative care patients. All PBS item codes for methadone are under the N07BC02 ATC code (for opiate dependence). As medicines funded by the S100 Opiate Dependence Treatment Program are not captured by the DUSC database, all methadone dispensing data captured under N07BC02 likely reflects the use of methadone in pain.

ATC, Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical; DDD, defined daily dose; N, nasal; O, oral; P, parenteral; R, rectal; SL, sublingual/buccal; TD, transdermal.