Key result
Oral anticoagulant prescriptions in Wales increased from 40.48 to 65.26 per 1000 prescribing units between 2009 and 2015, with warfarin's share declining from 100% to 68% as DOAC use rose.
Why the study?
What are the real-life prescribing patterns and costs of oral anticoagulants in Wales between 2009 and 2015?
Observational
What are the real-life prescribing patterns and costs of oral anticoagulants in Wales between 2009 and 2015?
Real-world data from Wales demonstrates a significant increase in overall oral anticoagulant prescriptions and costs, driven by the rising adoption of DOACs over warfarin.
WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Oral anticoagulants (OACs) have been used for decades for the long-term prevention of arterial and venous thromboembolic disease. These include warfarin and the newer direct-acting OACs (DOACs). Data on 'real-life' prescribing patterns for DOACs are limited. In this commentary, we report the prescribing patterns for OACs in Wales, as a representative country within the UK. COMMENT: A retrospective analysis of anonymized OAC prescribing data in Wales from June 2009 to December 2015. Results reveal that the number of OAC prescription items increased from 40·48 to 65·26 per 1000 prescribing unit (PU). Average cost increased from £87·41 to £529·31 per 1000 PU. The share of warfarin prescribing declined from 100% to 68%, with the a rising share for the DOACs, made up of rivaroxaban (19%), apixaban (9%) and dabigatran (3%) WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Analysis of real-life data demonstrates that there has been an increase in the overall numbers and costs of OAC prescriptions, with a rising proportion of DOACs to warfarin prescribing.
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Protty et al. (2016) conducted an observational in Arterial and venous thromboembolic disease. Oral anticoagulants was evaluated on OAC prescription items and cost per 1000 prescribing unit (PU). Oral anticoagulant prescriptions in Wales increased from 40.48 to 65.26 per 1000 prescribing units between 2009 and 2015, with warfarin's share declining from 100% to 68% as DOAC use rose.
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