MP76-19 EXTREME PRICE VARIATION IN GENERIC BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA AND OVERACTIVE BLADDER DRUGS

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyGeneral & Epidemiological Trends & Socioeconomics: Value of Care: Cost & Outcomes Measures I1 Apr 2018MP76-19 EXTREME PRICE VARIATION IN GENERIC BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA AND OVERACTIVE BLADDER DRUGS Katherine Theisen, Seo Young Park, Kwonho Jeong, Jathin Bandari, Anobel Odisho, Bruce Jacobs, and Benjamin Davies Katherine TheisenKatherine Theisen More articles by this author , Seo Young ParkSeo Young Park More articles by this author , Kwonho JeongKwonho Jeong More articles by this author , Jathin BandariJathin Bandari More articles by this author , Anobel OdishoAnobel Odisho More articles by this author , Bruce JacobsBruce Jacobs More articles by this author , and Benjamin DaviesBenjamin Davies More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2018.02.2587AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the 4th leading chronic disease in men. The importance of medical management results in lifelong medication costs. We sought to measure the price-variation for several generic BPH and anti-cholinergic medications across geographically proximate pharmacies. METHODS All pharmacies and their census tract within a 25-mile radius of our institution, UPMC, were identified. Demographic and socioeconomic data for each census tract were obtained from 2015 American Community Survey. Phone calls to pharmacies assessed the out-of-pocket price (e.g. cash price without insurance) of a 30-day prescription of the following medications: tamsulosin, finasteride, oxybutynin 5mg, and oxybutynin 10mg XL. Median drug prices were compared by pharmacy type (chain, wholesale, or independent). RESULTS Of 255 pharmacies, 165 were chains, 6 were wholesale, and 84 were independent. The pharmacies represented 173 census tracts with a median size of 1.0 square mile. There was significant variation in out-of-pocket drug prices based on pharmacy type for tamsulosin, finasteride, and oxybutynin XL. Specifically, chain pharmacies charged up to 6-fold more than independent pharmacies. For example, median tamsulosin prices were from chain $90.99, wholesale $31.92 and independent $17.15, p=0.0001(Figure 1). When adjusting for pharmacy type (e.g. chain, wholesale, independent), there were no consistent socioeconomic predictors of drug prices. CONCLUSIONS The out-of-pocket price for generic BPH medications varies up to 6-fold between pharmacies in a geographically-confined area. Independent and wholesale pharmacies offer the lowest prices, with chain pharmacies charging over 500% more than independent pharmacies for tamsulosin and finasteride. Socioeconomic factors were not associated with medication cost. Drug-price transparency and pharmacy-shopping could alleviate significant financial burden in long term medical-management of BPH. © 2018FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 199Issue 4SApril 2018Page: e1026 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2018MetricsAuthor Information Katherine Theisen More articles by this author Seo Young Park More articles by this author Kwonho Jeong More articles by this author Jathin Bandari More articles by this author Anobel Odisho More articles by this author Bruce Jacobs More articles by this author Benjamin Davies More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...