Analysis of progesterone for preterm birth, February 2024
Page last updated: 19 July 2024
Drug utilisation sub-committee (DUSC)
February 2024
Abstract
Purpose
At its November 2020 meeting the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) considered that the estimated utilisation of progesterone for the prevention of preterm births was highly uncertain and considered that a utilisation review by the DUSC should be conducted two years after initial listing.
Date of listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
Progesterone for the prevention of preterm was listed on the general schedule of the PBS with a streamlined authority.
Item 12465C, progesterone 200 mg pessary, 15 (Oripro) was listed on the PBS on 1 June 2021.
Item 12598C, progesterone 200 mg capsule, 42 (Utrogestan) was listed on 1 July 2021.
Data Source / methodology
Data extracted from the PBS database maintained by Department of Health and Aged Care, processed by Services Australia were used for the analyses.
Key Findings
- Utilisation of progesterone for the prevention of preterm birth has slowly increased since the initial increase upon listing on the PBS.
- Utilisation of Utrogestan (Item 12598C) has been more than double the utilisation of Oripro (Item 12465C) in the second and third quarters of 2023.
- Prescribing of progesterone for the prevention of preterm birth has been highest amongst obstetricians and gynaecologists, followed by vocationally registered general practitioners (GPs) and non-vocationally registered GPs.
- Despite the PBS listing of progesterone for the prevention of preterm birth allowing prescribing by nurse practitioners and midwives, actual prescribing from these prescriber types has been extremely low.
- Actual utilisation of progesterone for the prevention of preterm birth was different from estimated. The number of treated patients and prescriptions supplied is (redacted) than estimated.
