(94) An Epidemiological Evaluation of Topical Ophthalmologic Prescriptions Across Age Spectrums Using US Claims Database: 2005 to 2019

Publication Number: 1139

Background: Topical ophthalmic medications commonly treat eye conditions across all age spectrums; however, types of topical ophthalmic medications and their indications for use may vary dramatically by age. Understanding the extent to which these medications are used can provide a crucial foundation for research on their safety, especially in older adults who are more susceptible to adverse events in general.

Objectives: To provide an epidemiologic evaluation of topical ophthalmic prescription utilization within a large segment of the US privately insured population.

Methods: We used IBM® MarketScan® Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Claims databases (IBM Corp) data from January 2005 to December 2019 for analyses. Topical ophthalmologic prescriptions were identified from pharmacy dispensing claims based on route of administration. Patients were required to have ≥28 days of continuous insurance and prescription drug coverage in a month to contribute to monthly prescription prevalence estimates. Population-based prevalence estimates of topical ophthalmologic prescriptions were calculated relative to person-time of the full population and stratified by age. We also compared the individual medication entities (to account for each component of combination medications) and stratified by therapeutic class.

Results: Topical ophthalmic prescriptions comprised 0.77% of all prescription fills in patients aged < 18 and 9.8% of all prescriptions filled in patients aged ≥80 years. Patients aged ≥80 years were the highest utilizers of topical ophthalmic medications, with 23.4% receiving at least one prescription per year and a mean of 1.2 prescriptions per person-year for the full population.
The most commonly used therapeutic class among patients < 18 old was anti-infectives, comprising 84.8% of unique medication entities. However, glaucoma medications were the predominant type of topical ophthalmic medication entities filled among patients aged ≥80, comprising 66.8% of unique prescriptions medications followed by anti-infectives comprising 17.0%.

Conclusions: Overall, topical ophthalmic medication utilization was highest in older adults. This epidemiological evaluation provides further insight into topical ophthalmic prescription utilization and can serve as the foundation for further research on safety using real-world data.