Abstract
BackgroundNew drugs often substitute others cheaper and with a risk-benefit balance better established. Our aim was to analyse the diffusion of new drugs during the first months of use, examining the differences between family physicians and specialists.MethodsPrescription data were obtained of cefditoren, duloxetine, etoricoxib, ezetimibe, levocetirizine, olmesartan, pregabalin and tiotropium 36 months after their launching. We obtained the monthly number of prescriptions per doctor and the number prescribers of each drug by specialty.After discarding those with less than 10 prescriptions during this period, physicians were defined as adopters if the number of prescriptions was over the 25th percentile for each drug and level (primary or secondary care). The diffusion of each drug was studied by determining the number of adopter family physicians throughout the study period. Among the group of adopters, we compared the month of the first prescription by family physicians to that of other specialists using the Kaplan-Meier method.ResultsThe adoption of the drugs in primary care follows an exponential diffusion curve that reaches a plateau at month 6 to 23. Tiotropium was the most rapidly and widely adopted drug. Cefditoren spread at a slower rate and was the least adopted. The diffusion of etoricoxib was initially slowed down due to administrative requirements for its prescription. The median time of adoption in the case of family physicians was 4-6 months. For each of the drugs, physicians of a specialty other than family physicians adopted it first.ConclusionsThe number of adopters of a new drug increases quickly in the first months and reaches a plateau. The number of adopter family physicians varies considerably for different drugs. The adoption of new drugs is faster in specialists. The time of adoption should be considered to promote rational prescribing by providing timely information about new drugs and independent medical education.
Highlights
New drugs often substitute others cheaper and with a risk-benefit balance better established
A physician is an adopter of a new drug if he incorporates it to his personal formulary and prescribes it regularly
We focus in adopters because we are interested in doctors who have changed their prescribing behaviour
Summary
New drugs often substitute others cheaper and with a risk-benefit balance better established. The pattern of prescription varies among physicians and many influences on the doctor’s prescription other than the clinical indications have been described [1,2,3]. In this context, the introduction and diffusion of new drugs on the market is an issue of special transcendence. The substitution of established therapies for new drugs is often inappropriate because of lack of improvements in effectiveness, when unknown side effects cannot be ruled out at the time of marketing [5] and the prices are disproportionate to the alleged benefits [6,7]. A physician is an adopter of a new drug if he incorporates it to his personal formulary and prescribes it regularly
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
