First-line medications for alcohol use disorders among public drug plan beneficiaries in Ontario

Objective — To examine use of first-line alcohol use disorder (AUD) medications (naltrexone and acamprosate) among public drug plan beneficiaries in the year following an AUD diagnosis.

Design — Retrospective population-based cohort study.

Setting — Ontario.

Participants — Individuals eligible for public drug plan benefits who had an AUD diagnosis at a hospital visit between April 1, 2011, and March 31, 2012.

Main Outcome Measures — Number of AUD medications dispensed to public drug plan beneficiaries who had a recent hospital visit with an AUD diagnosis, and number of prescriptions dispensed per person.

Results — A total of 10 394 Ontarians between 18 and 65 years of age were identified who had a hospital visit with an AUD diagnosis and were eligible for public drug plan benefits. The rate of AUD medications dispensed in the subsequent year was 3.56 per 1000 population (95% CI 2.51 to 4.91; n = 37). This rate did not differ significantly by sex (P = .83).

Conclusion — Very few public drug plan beneficiaries are dispensed first-line AUD medications in the year following an AUD diagnosis.