The 2018 myMatrixx Workers’ Compensation Drug Trend Report was recently released and shows that comp pharmacy spending decreased by 3.3 percent in 2017, due to lower overall cost per prescription and an ongoing decline in utilization. Opioid utilization declined for the seventh year in a row in part due to aggressive clinical solutions and increased regulation.

Just over half of their managed plans saw reduced drug spending in 2017, and their plans saw a 15 percent reduction in opioid spending because of stronger management of opioid prescribing, educational programs for prescribers and new regulations on opioid prescribing. The number of injured workers using opioids for 30 days or more decreased to 17.6 percent from 21 percent. They reduced the use of drugs that when taken with opioids can be dangerous- such as muscle relaxants, gabapentin/pregabalin, and benzodiazepines.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and gabapentin are opioid alternatives for pain management and are the only pain medications that saw an increase in utilization. Spending on specialty medications increased by 18.5 percent. Though 1.7 percent of injured workers use a specialty drug, it accounts for 7.1 percent of total workers’ compensation drug spend.

Spending on compound medication decreased by 42.3 percent in 2018, continuing a four-year run of declines in spending. Just 0.2 percent of prescriptions were for compound medications.

Read more and download the report here.