MP28-02 WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE BPH MEDICATION PRICING? A STUDY OF CHAIN, INDEPENDENT, AND ONLINE PHARMACIES IN ADJACENT, SOCIOECONOMICALLY DISPARATE NEIGHBORHOODS IN NEW YORK CITY

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyBenign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Epidemiology & Evaluation (MP28)1 Sep 2021MP28-02 WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE BPH MEDICATION PRICING? A STUDY OF CHAIN, INDEPENDENT, AND ONLINE PHARMACIES IN ADJACENT, SOCIOECONOMICALLY DISPARATE NEIGHBORHOODS IN NEW YORK CITY Micah Levy, Evan B. Garden, Nir Tomer, Osama Al-Alao, Alexander C. Small, and Michael A. Palese Micah LevyMicah Levy More articles by this author , Evan B. GardenEvan B. Garden More articles by this author , Nir TomerNir Tomer More articles by this author , Osama Al-AlaoOsama Al-Alao More articles by this author , Alexander C. SmallAlexander C. Small More articles by this author , and Michael A. PaleseMichael A. Palese More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002025.02AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: First-line management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) involves medication therapy. However, variability and poor understanding of medication prices can hinder patient adherence, leading to worse clinical outcomes. We explored how pharmacy type and neighborhood socioeconomic status influences out-of-pocket pricing for common, generic BPH medications in two socioeconomically disparate neighborhoods in New York City. METHODS: All pharmacies in the Upper East Side (UES) and East Harlem (EH) were classified as chain (CP) or independent (IP). 96 pharmacies (CP:29, IP:67) were identified. Six mail order pharmacies (Amazon, Capsule, Blink Health, Honeybee, Genius RX, and Health Warehouse) were classified as online pharmacies (OP). Phone calls to local pharmacies were placed, and publicly accessible online data was recorded to obtain out-of-pocket, cash prices for 30-day supplies of 12 common BPH medications (Table 1). Median drug prices were compared based on pharmacy type and neighborhood. RESULTS: 81/96 (84.4%) of UES and EH pharmacies responded (CP:29 [35.8%], IP:52 [64.2%]). IP had significantly cheaper prices than CP in 8/12 medications in the UES and in 12/12 medications in EH. OP had significantly cheaper prices than CP in 11/12 medications in both UES and EH. 2/11 medications showed significantly lower prices in OP than in IP in the UES. No differences were found between OP and IP in EH. Dutasteride had the greatest differences between CP and IP (6.07x in UES, 8.87x in EH) and between CP and OP (8.25x in UES, 8.05 in EH) (Table 1a). OP and CP had standardized prices independent of location. IP showed significantly higher prices for 9/12 medications in the UES than in EH, with up to 2.00x higher prices (Table 1b). CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of neighborhood, both IP and OP offered consistently lower BPH medication prices compared to CP. Lower IP prices identified in the lower income EH neighborhood suggest that a location’s socioeconomic status can impact BPH medication prices. Medication pricing can be highly variable; therefore, physicians and patients alike must understand the factors that influence medication pricing to ensure optimal patient outcomes. Source of Funding: None © 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 206Issue Supplement 3September 2021Page: e480-e481 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Micah Levy More articles by this author Evan B. Garden More articles by this author Nir Tomer More articles by this author Osama Al-Alao More articles by this author Alexander C. Small More articles by this author Michael A. Palese More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Loading ...