OBJECTIVES: Medications improve quality of life and longevity, however their population-level impact on the average age of death remains unclear. This study aims to assess the association between public health system-dispensed medication and the mean age of death in Brazil from 2011-2019.

METHODS: This is a retrospective database study of anonymized microdata from the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Information on mean age of death was obtained from the Brazilian Mortality Information System, while hospitalization and dispensed medication details were extracted from the Inpatient and Outpatient Information System. Prais-Winsten regression were used to estimate Monthly Average Percentage Change (MAPC). We created a panel using month and disease categories as the panel units. Fixed-effect regression models were used to control for potential confounders.

RESULTS: Dispensed medication increased for all disease groups, except for skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases (-15.7) and neoplasms (-14.3). Largest increases were seen in circulatory system diseases (217.4) and blood-related disorders (73.7). Unspecified diseases showed a MAPC of 190.3. Mean age of death increased for all significant disease groups, more notably in infectious and parasitic diseases (12.1) and the nervous system (9.7). A significant positive correlation was detected between dispensed medication and mean age of death (Coef 0.00529; StdErr 0.00127), even after adjusting for hospitalization-related factors and disease categories.

CONCLUSIONS: Dispensed medication in Brazil increased from 2011-2019, possibly contributing to a modest rise in life expectancy. Improving access to medication in the public health system may increase the mean age of death, indicating improved health outcomes. Further study is essential to understand the private health care system's influence on the connection between dispensed medication and the mean age of death for specific disease groups.