TABLE 1.
Characteristics of people initiating pregabalin in sample since its subsidy and patterns of use in first year (July 2013–June 2018)
| 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | |
| Number of people initiating pregabalin | 25 491 (100.0) | 26 635 (100.0) | 27 274 (100.0) | 26 883 (100.0) | 24 487 (100.0) |
| Age group (y) | |||||
| 18–44 | 4689 (18.4) | 5333 (20.0) | 5800 (21.3) | 5765 (21.4) | 5473 (22.4) |
| 45–64 | 9797 (38.4) | 10 092 (37.9) | 10 140 (37.2) | 10 023 (37.3) | 9130 (37.3) |
| 65–84 | 9590 (37.6) | 9735 (36.5) | 9825 (36.0) | 9563 (35.6) | 8575 (35.0) |
| ≥85 | 1415 (5.6) | 1475 (5.5) | 1509 (5.5) | 1532 (5.7) | 1309 (5.3) |
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 10 670 (41.9) | 11 262 (42.3) | 11 839 (43.4) | 11 846 (44.1) | 10 918 (44.6) |
| Female | 14 821 (58.1) | 15 373 (57.7) | 15 435 (56.6) | 15 037 (55.9) | 13 569 (55.4) |
| Capsule strength at initiation | |||||
| 25 mg | 7520 (29.5) | 9587 (36.0) | 11 025 (40.4) | 11 703 (43.5) | 11 374 (46.4) |
| 75 mg | 15 436 (60.6) | 15 073 (56.6) | 14 381 (52.7) | 13 420 (49.9) | 11 755 (48.0) |
| 150 mg | 1910 (7.5) | 1420 (5.3) | 1275 (4.7) | 1155 (4.3) | 877 (3.6) |
| 300 mg | 274 (1.1) | 196 (0.7) | 205 (0.8) | 195 (0.7) | 175 (0.7) |
| Multiple | 351 (1.4) | 359 (1.3) | 388 (1.4) | 407 (1.5) | 306 (1.2) |
| No. dispensings in first year a | |||||
| 1 | 8157 (32.0) | 9720 (36.5) | 10 708 (39.3) | 11 360 (42.3) | |
| 2–4 | 6101 (23.9) | 6794 (25.5) | 7124 (26.1) | 7046 (26.2) | |
| 5–12 | 7136 (28.0) | 6648 (25.0) | 6366 (23.3) | 5741 (21.4) | |
| >12 | 4097 (16.1) | 3473 (13.0) | 3076 (11.3) | 2736 (10.2) | |
| Total defined daily dose dispensed in the first year a , b | |||||
| 0–14 | 8600 (33.7) | 10 527 (39.5) | 11 730 (43.0) | 12 522 (46.6) | |
| 15–28 | 3142 (12.3) | 3568 (13.4) | 3701 (13.6) | 3786 (14.1) | |
| 29–90 | 5433 (21.3) | 5559 (20.9) | 5679 (20.8) | 5292 (19.7) | |
| 91–365 | 6989 (27.4) | 6035 (22.7) | 5313 (19.5) | 4564 (17.0) | |
| >365 | 1327 (5.2) | 946 (3.6) | 851 (3.1) | 719 (2.7) | |
| Discontinuation in first year a | 19 619 (77.0) | 21 709 (81.5) | 22 859 (83.8) | 23 105 (85.9) | |
a
Patterns of use in first year postinitiation presented for people who initiated prior to 1 July 2017 only.
b
The defined daily dose for pregabalin is 300 mg.