Prescribing Behavior

Consumers anxious about drug costs, industry influence

Matthew Arnold August 25, 2010

A fifth of consumers have asked their doctor to prescribe a drug they learned about through advertising, and fully two-thirds have received free samples of prescription drugs from their doctor - but they worry about the industry's influence on physicians, according to a Consumer Reports survey.

Prescriber data law in Maine headed for federal court

Ben Comer February 25, 2010

A federal appeals court will hear oral arguments regarding Maine's prescription data law, which allows physicians to "opt-out" of commercially traded data pertaining to their prescribing habits.

Abbott's next step for Niaspan

Marc Iskowitz January 05, 2010

Abbott Labs' cholesterol drug Niaspan is growing prescription share nicely after a clinical trial highlighted its potential as part of a one-two punch in reducing plaque. Now, the company says, it is considering how best to capitalize on the data.

ARBITER leaves some lasting marks on Merck

Marc Iskowitz December 21, 2009

The nature and amount of press coverage is often a key factor in assessing how clinical trial results impact a product's prescription trends. In the case of the ARBITER 6-HALTS trial, Merck's cholesterol franchise has benefited from largely balanced coverage, somewhat limiting damage to lipid drugs Zetia and Vytorin.

Slow diagnosis hampers uptake of fibromyalgia drugs

Marc Iskowitz October 26, 2009

As the number of FDA-approved fibromyalgia therapies has grown, so has patient hope. However, the condition is still not well understood by the medical community overall, hampering uptake of branded drugs approved for the disorder.

DTC ads made some cancer patients doubt their docs

Matthew Arnold August 17, 2009

A survey of patients at Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that 11% said ads for cancer-related drugs had made them less confident in their providers' judgment.

Predicting Product Launch Success: An Ace in the Whole

Patrick Howie, Mike Luby July 15, 2009

Can pharma companies really predict the success of new product launches? Patrick Howie and Mike Luby report on how pharmas can hone in on physicians' actual prescribing behavior versus stated intentions