Māori, alongside other non-Europeans, are less likely to receive funded anti-dementia medication than individuals of European ethnicity, according to a retrospective study using health data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure. The study identified individuals of all ages coded with dementia, and found that one-third received donepezil or rivastigmine between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2020. The relative risks for Māori, Pasifika, and Middle Eastern/Latin American/African individuals being dispensed an anti-dementia medication compared with European individuals were 0.79-0.81 (p < 0.0001), 0.72-0.74 (p < 0.0001) and 0.73-0.78 (p < 0.05), respectively. Individuals aged 65-79 years were more likely and those aged <65 years were less likely to be dispensed an anti-dementia medication compared with those aged ≥80 years (relative risks 1.50-1.54 and 0.67-0.71, respectively; both p < 0.0001). Anti-dementia medication use was not significantly different between males and females.
