WOONSOCKET, R.I., May 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health (NYSE:
CVS) today lauded findings from new research showing that policies
limiting pharmaceutical sales activities at academic medical
centers resulted in a modest, but significant change in prescribing
behavior. The research, published today in an issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) focused
on conflicts of interest in medicine, found that when these
policies were implemented there was a decrease in prescribing of
drugs detailed by pharmaceutical sales representatives and an
increase in prescribing of non-detailed drugs, the majority of
which (more than 95 percent) were generics. This research
underscores the need for continued monitoring of pharmaceutical
marketing practices and the ongoing adoption of programs and
policies that increase the availability and utilization of
generic drugs in the marketplace, as a way to help drive down
overall drug spending.
"Physician visits from drug sales representatives help keep
expensive brand name drugs top-of-mind for physicians, which can
ultimately impact their prescribing behavior," said Troyen A.
Brennan, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health and a study
co-author. "At a time when the cost of prescription drugs and
pharmacy care is under increased scrutiny, this new data shows that
policies to restrict pharmaceutical sales calls can lead to
increased prescribing of equally effective, less expensive generic
drugs."
Researchers at the UCLA Medical Center and Carnegie Mellon University compared prescribing
practices of physicians at academic medical centers in five states
before and after implementation of restrictive pharmaceutical
detailing policies over a six-year period. De-identified pharmacy
claims data was provided by CVS Health for eight drug classes used
to treat common, chronic conditions for which lower-cost generics
are available, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
The study found that when more restrictive policies to limit
on-site pharmaceutical marketing activity were adopted by the
medical centers, there was a decrease in market share of 1.67
percentage points for brand name drugs previously detailed by
pharmaceutical representatives and an increase in market share of
lower cost, mostly generic, alternatives by 0.84 percentage points
across the majority of drug classes.
"This research is instructive as we look at ways to help curb
overall health care spending and points to a tremendous opportunity
for increasing utilization of generic medicines as a measured
approach to help control overall pharmacy spend," added Dr.
Brennan. "In fact, when high cost brand name drugs are prescribed
more often, research suggests that overall health care spending can
rise exponentially, much of which is likely avoidable."
Clinically equivalent and often more cost effective than their
brand name counterparts, generic drugs help control pharmacy spend
and increase access to important therapies for patients who could
be deterred by the high cost of some branded drugs. In fact,
according to the Association for Accessible Medicines, the use of
generic drugs produces annual savings in excess of $200 billion. Additionally, in a separate
editorial also published in today's issue of JAMA, authors cite
research showing that the overuse of high cost brand name
medications resulted in about $73
billion in costs to the U.S. health care system between
2010-2012, about a third of which was paid for by patients.
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), including CVS Caremark, the
PBM of CVS Health, also help drive value for payors and patients
with formularies that favor generic drugs. In fact, in 2016,
generic drugs had the largest deflationary impact on CVS Caremark
drug trend – the year-over-year growth in prescription
spending – due to higher dispensing rates combined with lower
overall inflation and falling prices for most generics. In
addition, increasing drug competition – by addressing the backlog
of generic medicines awaiting FDA approval and promoting policies
that do not delay market entry of generic drugs – will help
increase the number of lower cost generic drugs available in the
marketplace.
About CVS Health
CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their
path to better health. Through its nearly 9,700 retail locations,
more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy
benefits manager with nearly 90 million plan members, a dedicated
senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million
patients per year, expanding specialty pharmacy services, and a
leading stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, the
company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health
in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model
increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes
and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about
how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at
https://www.cvshealth.com.
Media
Contacts:
|
|
Christine
Cramer
|
Christina
Beckerman
|
CVS
Health
|
CVS Health
|
(401)
770-3317
|
(401)
770-8868
|
christine.cramer@cvshealth.com
|
christina.beckerman@cvshealth.com
|
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cvs-health-lauds-new-research-showing-that-limiting-pharmaceutical-detailing-can-impact-prescribing-behavior-300449041.html
SOURCE CVS Health