Empagliflozin and dulaglutide dispensing data, Counties-Manakau compared to all other DHBs

22 September 2021 

Dear [name and contact details withheld] 

Request for information 

Thank you for your request dated 3 September 2021 under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) for information relating to dispensing data for empagliflozin and dulaglutide. You requested: 

The number of patients dispensed these treatments since funding began, broken down by:

  • month
  • DHB (with the focus on Counties-Manukau compared with the rest of the country)
  • ethnicity (a particular focus on Maori and Pacific people). 

Please find attached with this response, dispensing data for empagliflozin and empagliflozin with metformin since funding began. 

 

We noted your preference for “new patient” prescriptions, by which we assume you mean the first time a patient is dispensed one of these treatments. We have included a tab for new patients within the data provided. 

Additionally, we noted your preference for weekly dispensing data, instead of monthly, if possible. We have provided monthly dispensing data, instead of weekly, as we consider this necessary to protect the privacy of natural persons (section 9(2)(a) of the OIA). 

As required under the OIA, we also considered whether, in the circumstances, the withholding of this information was outweighed by other considerations which render it desirable, in the public interest, to make this information available.  In this case we did not consider that the public interest outweighed the reasons for withholding the information. 

Please note, as funding for dulaglutide commenced on 1 September 2021, we do not currently hold dispensing data for this medicine. Medicine dispensing data takes approximately 6 weeks to be updated in our database. Therefore, we have not provided any dulaglutide dispensing data with this response as the information does not currently exist.

Please note you have the right, by way of complaint under section 28(3) of the OIA to an Ombudsman, to seek an investigation and review of our decision.

We trust that this information answers your queries. We are making our information more freely available, so we now publish selected OIA responses (excluding personal details) on our website. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about this.

Yours sincerely 

Rachel Read
Manager, Policy and Government Services