Trends in the Dispensing of Oral Anti-Cancer Medications Across Australia Over 10 Years

Purpose: Oral anti-cancer medications (OAMs) are easily administered yet high-risk treatments. Few studies have investigated national and subnational trends in OAM dispensing. We aimed to examine 10-year trends in Australia's OAM dispensing at the national level as well as by state/territory and medication type/class. Methods: Aggregate data on Australia's OAM dispensing and population for 2014–2023 were sourced from Services Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, respectively. Annual OAM dispensing rates (counts per 100 000 population) were calculated overall as well as by state/territory and medication type/class. Percentage change (Δ) in dispensing rates from 2014 to 2023 was determined. Where valid, Mann-Kendall trend tests were performed. Results: Australia-wide from 2014 to 2023, dispensing counts per 100 000 population for any OAMs increased nonlinearly from 3 475 to 3 930 (+Δ13%), hormonal OAMs decreased nonlinearly from 2 659 to 2 225 (−Δ16%), and non-hormonal OAMs exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) near-linear upward trend from 816 to 1 705 (+Δ109%). This coincided with a significant upward trend in the number of unique non-hormonal OAMs dispensed Australia-wide (+Δ187%). Percentage changes in non-hormonal OAM dispensing rates were greatest for protein kinase inhibitor (PKI) dispensing Australia-wide (+Δ232%), with a significant, near-linear upward trend from 286 to 950, and non-hormonal OAM dispensing in South Australia (+Δ141%), with a significant, near-linear upward trend from 820 to 1972. Conclusions: Australia's non-hormonal OAM dispensing increased over 2014–2023, mostly for PKIs. This likely reflects rising availability of and prescriber/patient demand for these medications, suggesting scope to pilot and expand OAM adherence and safety initiatives.