Publications by authors named "Andrea Mant"
Objective: Although depression and chronic pain often coexist, few studies have examined antidepressant use among people with pain. This study examines the prevalence and characteristics associated with antidepressant use among people prescribed opioids for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP).
Design: Baseline data from a prospective cohort study.
Background: Results from a previous study showed that 40 to 60% of the price of off-patent medicines in Vietnam was typically spent to induce prescribers to use the medicines, and to persuade procurement officers within hospitals to buy them. In this article we examine how and why inducements were paid by the pharmaceutical industry to health care providers in Vietnam.
Methods: We use a theoretically informed analysis to understand pharmaceutical companies' account of giving inducements and prescribers' account of taking them, elicited through in-depth interviews.
One third of the world's population lacks regular access to essential medicines partly because of the high cost of medicines. In Vietnam, the cost to patients of medicines was 47 times the international reference price for originator brands and 11 times the price for generic equivalents in the public sector. In this article, we report the results of a qualitative study conducted to identify the principal reasons for inflated medicine prices in Vietnam.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceutical expenditure is rising globally. Most high-income countries have exercised pricing or purchasing strategies to address this pressure. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), however, usually have less regulated pharmaceutical markets and often lack feasible pricing or purchasing strategies, notwithstanding their wish to effectively manage medicine budgets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhat Is Already Known About This Subject: • Previous studies have found varying impact of exposure to COX-2 selective and non-selective NSAIDs.
What This Study Adds: • Individuals receiving a COX-2 selective NSAID had an increased risk of all-cause mortality after correction for age, sex and cardiovascular risk as measured by co-prescription. • Despite differences in the pharmacokinetic properties of the COX-2 selective inhibitor drugs, our study lends no support to clinicians preferring any one COX-2 selective inhibitor drug, or substituting one for another on the grounds of mortality risk alone.
Aims: We examined potential risk of serotonin toxicity in Australian veterans by quantifying the concomitant use of serotonergic medicine combinations from claims data collected by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA).
Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 273 228 Australian veterans, war widows, widowers and dependents aged >or=55 years and holding full treatment entitlement for the period July 2000 to June 2004 or until death. The main outcome measure was potential concomitant use, estimated as the number of cohort members with an overlap in days of supply for serotonergic medicine combinations over the 4 year period for all medicine combinations and potentially life threatening combinations.
Introduction And Aims: This study assessed the impact on benzodiazepine injection among IDU in Sydney of removing temazepam gel capsule preparations from the Australian market.
Design And Methods: Several data sources were used: (1) data from the NSW Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) (an annual, cross-sectional survey of regular IDU in Sydney) for the period 1996 - 2005; (2) data from inner Sydney outreach services and the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) on last drug injected; and (3) national benzodiazepine prescription data, by formulation, from the Drug Utilisation Sub-Committee for the period 2001 - 06.
Results: Removal of temazepam gel capsule formulations from the Australian market in 2004 resulted in increased prescribing of tablet formulations but overall benzodiazepine prescription numbers remained stable.
Objective: To examine trends in types of antidepressant medications prescribed in Australia between 1975 and 2002.
Design: Sales data from the Australian pharmaceutical industry were used to examine trends in overall antidepressant prescribing and changes in the types of antidepressants prescribed between 1975 and 2002.
Main Outcome Measures: Antidepressant sales were expressed as defined daily doses (DDDs) per 1000 people per day, using the estimated Australian population for each year obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Objective: To investigate the proportion of patients starting on either selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) who continued treatment for a period consistent with recommended guidelines for major depression, that is at least 6 months.
Method: Cohort study using a national dispensing claims database involving patients eligible for social security entitlements in Australia. Two 'new user' cohorts were established of patients who were supplied a prescription for either an SSRI (6026) or a TCA (4158) in the first week of April 2000 and who had not received a prescription for any antidepressant in the preceding three months.
Background: Depression is a common disease in primary care and produces significant morbidity in the community. Little is known about the outcomes of depression in general practice.
Objectives: This research set out to explore both the longitudinal management and outcomes of depression as seen in general practice.
Objective: To assess trends in the first two years of prescribing of COX-2-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (C2SNs) by Australian general practitioners.
Design: Retrospective analysis of deidentified electronic patient records from GPs enrolled in the General Practice Research Network (GPRN).
Setting And Participants: Overall prescription rates for C2SNs and NSAIDs were assessed for all GPRN participants (437 GPs) between 1 September 1999 and 30 September 2002.
Use of antidepressants by general practitioners and psychiatrists in Australia.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry
April 2003
Objective: To examine the antidepressant prescribing patterns of psychiatrists and general practitioners (GPs) in Australia, focusing specifically on: the prescribed daily dose, the relative proportions (from subsidized dispensing data) of prescriptions written, and how these proportions change over time for a newly listed antidepressant drug (using paroxetine as an example).
Method: Retrospective analyses of subsidized claims data (comprising nearly 90% of the community supply of antidepressants) and prescriber surveys.
Results: General practitioners prescribe 86% of subsidized antidepressants in Australia.
Objective: To evaluate adherence to an agreed minimum dataset for patient medication information exchange between hospitals and general practitioners.
Design: Quasi pre-post design with a supplementary post-program comparison group; sequential descriptive surveys of patients following recent discharge from public hospitals; opinion questionnaire for key hospital informants; stakeholder forum to review data and Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) action plans between pre- and post-program surveys.
Participants And Setting: GPs and hospitals from the South East Area Health Service, Sydney.