Project 170461

Administrative claims data are rich and provide information to study how drugs are used in the real-world, and thus also provide real-world drug safety and effectiveness data. We outline two pilot projects that will capitalize on administrative claims data from Ontario. First, valid estimates of the safety and effectiveness of therapeutics are required to help inform drug policy decision making. Unfortunately, results from claims-based observational studies are error-prone due to incomplete information. We will use innovative methods that supplement claims-based data with other data sources to examine the potential benefits of these analytic strategies in improving estimates of the safety and effectiveness of drugs. We will start by examining fracture outcomes among seniors. Second, we know that adherence to therapy for osteoporosis, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia is suboptimal. However, little information is available regarding the patterns of drug use or the implications of gaps in adherence to therapy for these conditions. We will study patterns of pharmacotherapy, predictors of large gaps in treatment and implications of gaps in adherence to therapy for these conditions, starting with osteoporosis. Results will help identify the burden of illness in the population related to suboptimal adherence, and may be used to help develop quality improvement interventions. Results from these pilot projects will help inform future innovative projects that will aim to reduce the burden of illness in the population due to adverse drug effects and failure to adhere to preventive pharmacotherapy. Results will be important to guide health policy, develop quality improvement interventions, reduce health care costs and ultimately reduce the burden of illness in the population due to adverse drug effects and suboptimal adherence to chronic pharmacotherapy.

study of protective genetic variants in HMG-CoA reductase