Trends in estimated total retail dispensed prescriptions of purported COVID-19 treatments and preventions in Canada

Several medications were proposed for the treatment and prophylaxis of COVID-19 but with limited supporting evidence. Herein, we assessed trends in the volume of projected total retail dispensed prescriptions for 12 agents proposed for treatment and prevention of COVID-19 before and after March 2020 in Canada. We conducted a cross-sectional study using monthly prescription volumes obtained from IQVIA’s CompuScript database. We used joinpoint regression to identify significant inflection points and calculate the monthly percent change (MPC). Dispensations peaked after March 2020 for several medications, including hydroxychloroquine, fluvoxamine, ivermectin, colchicine, tocilizumab, sarilumab and famotidine. Although most peaks were short lived, large increases were observed for ivermectin (MPC from September 2020 to January 2021 = 28%) and famotidine (MPC from June 2021 to October 2021 = 14%). Overall, Canadian prescribing patterns were mostly consistent with recommendations from guidelines and health regulatory bodies. Nonetheless, active monitoring of trends should continue.