PP261—Utilization of triptanes in Sweden; analyses of over the counter and prescriptions sales

ABSTRACT Purpose To enable easier access to triptans, the drug of choice for moderate to severe migraine, some countries have made triptansavailable without prescription, that is, over the counter (OTC). Concern has been raised about this. The aim of this study was to describethe utilization pattern of triptans in Sweden before and after the OTC switch.Methods Wholesaler and aggregated sales data from all Swedish pharmacies 1991 to 2011 and patient identity data on dispensed prescrip-tions 2007 and 2011 from the Swedish National Prescribed Drug Register were used to investigate volume and expenditure of triptans. Thedatabases contain complete data for all drugs sold in Sweden or dispensed to all Swedish inhabitants (9.5 million in 2012).Results Volumes oftriptans have increasedto 7.0million defined daily doses (DDD) on prescriptions and 0.7 million DDDs OTC in 2011.Prescriptions were dispensed to 10.0 and 10.1 per 1000 inhabitants in 2007 and 2011, respectively. Although half of those dispensed triptansin 2007 were not in 2011, the incidence remained stable at 2.8 patients per thousand person-years. In 2011, the 10% of the heaviest usersaccounted for 44% and 48% of dispensed triptans in women and men, respectively.Conclusions Triptans OTC and the volumes dispensed on prescription have increased as has the DDD per patient purchasing triptans onprescription. However, the number of patient’s dispensed triptans on prescription has remained stable. A concern is that almost half ofprescribed triptans are purchased by 10% of the users. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.key words—triptan; migraine; drug utilization; over the counter; prescription; pharmacoepidemiologyReceived 10March2014; Revised 17June2014; Accepted 23June2014