A new study from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) reveals that potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) remain widely prescribed to seniors in Canada, despite recent improvements. [2]
The study, published on September 10, 2025, is the first since 2013 to examine national expenditures on prescribing PIMs to the elderly and provide a trend analysis by drug category[2].
Dr. Emily McDonald, senior author of the study and Scientist in the Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program at the RI-MUHC, stated, “Despite recommendations from many medical societies to avoid potentially inappropriate medications and various initiatives to educate the public and physicians about their dangers, PIMs remain a major problem worldwide, including in Canada”[2].
Key findings from the study include:
– 42% of people over 65 in Canada took at least one PIM in 2021[2].
– The quarterly exposure rate to PIMs per 10,000 seniors decreased by 16.4%, except for gabapentinoids (83.7% increase), proton pump inhibitors (6.5% increase), and antipsychotics (5.4% increase)[2].
– Total spending on PIMs for seniors in Canada fell from $1.5 billion to $1 billion between 2013 and 2021, a 33.6% decrease[2].
– Quarterly spending per exposed senior decreased from $95 to $57[2].
Dr. Jean-François Huon, first author of the study and a pharmacist and researcher at the MUHC and Nantes University Hospital, emphasized the need for targeted strategies to reduce problems arising from drug overprescribing and PIM prescribing in the elderly[2].
The study’s findings align with previous research highlighting the prevalence of polypharmacy among seniors. In Canada, nearly 70% of all seniors take five or more drugs, and almost 10% take 15 or more medications[3].
Dr. McDonald noted that PIMs are not always inappropriate, as their use depends on individual cases. However, she stressed the importance of avoiding chronic use of certain medications, such as sedative hypnotics, in the elderly[2].
The researchers suggest that future studies should explore sex and gender differences in PIM prescribing rates[2].
This study contributes to the ongoing discussion about deprescribing – the deliberate and conscientious stopping or tapering of prescriptions to help improve health outcomes[3]. As awareness of the issue grows, more physicians are initiating deprescribing discussions with their older patients[3].
The findings underscore the need for continued efforts to address the issue of inappropriate medication use among seniors in Canada, with the goal of improving their overall health and quality of life.
Citations:
[1] https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/inappropriate-prescriptions-sending-hospitalized-seniors-back-er-322806
[2] https://muhc.ca/news-and-patient-stories/research/elderly-still-take-too-many-potentially-inappropriate-drugs
[3] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/prescription-drug-use-among-seniors-far-too-high-1.3596006
[4] https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/dangers-polypharmacy-and-case-deprescribing-older-adults
[5] https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/study-finds-too-many-quebec-seniors-being-overprescribed-inappropriate-medications-1.7072397
[6] https://healthenews.mcgill.ca/the-elderly-still-take-too-many-potentially-inappropriate-drugs/
[7] https://montreal.citynews.ca/2025/09/10/seniors-taking-inappropriate-medications-report/
[8] https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/drugs-seniors-inappropriate-prescribing-cost-1.3647231
