MP69-08 PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY PAYMENTS AND PHYSICIAN PRESCRIBING OF UROLOGIC DRUGS

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyGeneral & Epidemiological Trends & Socioeconomics: Practice Patterns, Quality of Life and Shared Decision Making III1 Apr 2017MP69-08 PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY PAYMENTS AND PHYSICIAN PRESCRIBING OF UROLOGIC DRUGS Parth Modi, Matthew Ingham, Eric Singer, and Steven Chang Parth ModiParth Modi More articles by this author , Matthew InghamMatthew Ingham More articles by this author , Eric SingerEric Singer More articles by this author , and Steven ChangSteven Chang More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2017.02.2304AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The effects of industry payments to physicians on prescribing habits are not well understood. We aimed to determine the association between the receipt of industry payments and the prescribing of alpha-blockers and overactive bladder (OAB) medications. METHODS The Open Payments Program (OPP) database and Medicare Part D claims database for 2014 were linked. This provided industry payment information and prescription information for individual physicians in the US. We identified all physicians who prescribed any alpha-blocker or OAB drug. We also identified actively promoted drug (based on payments) within each group. Silodosin was the only actively promoted alpha-blocker. Fesoterodine, solifenacin, and mirabegron were the actively promoted OAB drugs. For each promoted drug, we calculated the proportion of physicians who ″preferred″ the promoted drug, i.e. prescribed the promoted drug more often than all other drugs in that class combined. Regression analysis was performed to quantify the effect of industry payment on ″preferred″ prescribing. Analysis was conducted for any payment, greater than the median payment, and high payment (>$100). Prescribing physicians were categorized as urologists or non-urologists. RESULTS In 2014, among the 108,680 physicians who prescribed an alpha blocker or an overactive bladder medication through Medicare Part D, 66,726 received at least one industry payment by the manufacturer of that drug. For each promoted drug, physicians who received any payment from its manufacturer prescribed that drug more often, relative to all drugs in its class. Receipt of payment from the promoting company was associated with significantly increased odds of preferentially prescribing that drug (Table 1). This effect was significant when considering all physicians and non-urologists. However, when considering urologists alone, no significant effect was noted. Sensitivity analyses conducted using median payment and high payment thresholds confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS Receipt of industry payment is associated with increased prescribing of promoted urologic drugs. This effect varies according to specialty, possibly reflecting the strength of established prescribing patterns or close familiarity with these drugs for urologists as compared to other physicians. © 2017FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 197Issue 4SApril 2017Page: e929 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2017MetricsAuthor Information Parth Modi More articles by this author Matthew Ingham More articles by this author Eric Singer More articles by this author Steven Chang More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...