Association of Countries' Atopic Dermatitis Burden and Sociodemographic Index with Topical Calcineurin Inhibitor Utilization.

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Background: There is limited knowledge on international trends in topical calcineurin inhibitor (TCI) utilization. Objective: To describe international TCI utilization trends from 2012 to 2019 and evaluate the relationship of country-level economic status, geographic location, and atopic dermatitis (AD) disease burden with drug utilization. Methods: We used IQVIA MIDAS® pharmaceutical quarterly sales data to attain country-level purchasing of TCIs in grams from 2012 to 2019. A multivariable linear regression estimated the association between countries' sociodemographic index (SDI), AD disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rates, and geographic location with TCI utilization. Results: A total of 68 countries were included in our analysis. From 2012 to 2019, overall TCI utilization increased by 66% but remained 11.2 times higher in high-sociodemographic compared with low-middle/low-sociodemographic countries. SDI and geographic location were associated with greater TCI utilization in multivariable analyses, whereas AD DALY rates were not. High-SDI countries used 21,476 grams (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11,915 to 31,036) and high-middle SDI countries used 9,403 grams (95% CI: -393 to 19,200) more TCIs per 100,000 people compared with low-middle/low-SDI countries, respectively. Northern hemisphere countries used 8,588 grams more TCIs per 100,000 people (95% CI: 612 to 16,564). Conclusions: We demonstrated greater TCI utilization among high-SDI compared with lower SDI countries.