Glaucoma prescribing trends in England 2000 to 2012

Purpose In 2009, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidance on the treatment of ocular hypertension and glaucoma. The aim of the present study was to describe the impact this guidance had on glaucoma prescribing and to describe recent prescribing trends in England. Meth...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Eye (London) 2014-07, Vol.28 (7), p.863-869
Main Authors: Connor, A J, Fraser, S G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
692/699/3161/3169/3170
692/700
Administration, Topical
Antihypertensive Agents - administration & dosage
Antihypertensive Agents - economics
Clinical Study
Drug Costs
Drug Prescriptions - economics
Drug Prescriptions - statistics & numerical data
England
Glaucoma
Glaucoma - drug therapy
Guideline Adherence
Humans
Intraocular Pressure - drug effects
Laboratory Medicine
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Ocular Hypertension - drug therapy
Ophthalmic Solutions
Ophthalmology
Pharmaceutical Sciences/Technology
Practice Guidelines as Topic
Practice Patterns, Physicians' - trends
Surgery
Surgical Oncology
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Summary:Purpose In 2009, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidance on the treatment of ocular hypertension and glaucoma. The aim of the present study was to describe the impact this guidance had on glaucoma prescribing and to describe recent prescribing trends in England. Method Prescribing cost analysis data held by NHS Business Authority for the years 2000–2012 was analysed. Results The number of prescriptions dispensed increased by 67% from 4.76 million in 2000 to 7.96 million in 2012. Over the same time period, drug costs increased by 88% from £55.2 million to £103.7 million. Prescriptions for prostaglandin analogues increased fourfold, while there was a threefold decrease in the use of beta-blockers. The most commonly prescribed glaucoma medication was latanoprost. The introduction of generic latanoprost in 2012 more than halved the cost associated with this medication. NICE guidance appeared to have had no effect on the total number of prescriptions or the classes of medications prescribed. Conclusion The introduction of the NICE guidelines did not change glaucoma prescribing practice, although it is not clear whether this represents non-adherence to the guidelines or whether the guidelines embodied pre-existing practice.
ISSN:0950-222X
1476-5454
DOI:10.1038/eye.2014.114