Black and Latino Medicaid Recipients Less Likely to Receive New Epilepsy Drugs

A recently published study in Neurology Clinical Practice found that Medicaid patients were less likely to be prescribed newer third-generation antiseizure medications (ASMs) if they were Black, Latino, Pacific Islander, or Native Hawaiian. These drugs tend to perform better and have less side effects, but are underutilized in the aforementioned populations compared to white Medicaid recipients.

According to , “Researchers looked at 5 years (2010–2014) of Medicaid claims data from 15 states for adults who filled at least 2 prescriptions for epilepsy drugs and were in the 18-to-64 age range. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to examine the association between newer-generation ASMs and adherence. Racial/ethnic differences in ASM use were then compared in models adjusted for demographics, utilization, year, and comorbidities.”

To read more, click here.

(Source: AJMC, January 11^th, 2022)