Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20015

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Newton-Syms FA, Dawson PH, Cooke J, Feely M, Booth TG, Jerwood D, Calvert RT.
The influence of an academic representative on prescribing by general practitioners.
Br J Clin Pharmacol 1992; 33:(1):69-73
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1381201/?tool=pubmed

Abstract:

1. The effect of providing information about medicines by a short ‘sales’ interview between individual general practitioners and an ‘academic representative’ on prescribing was investigated. 2. The promotional campaign was designed to encourage a rational approach to prescribing of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents in an intervention group of 101 general practitioners selected at random from the Leeds Family Practitioner Committee (FPC). The remaining general practitioners in the Leeds FPC acted as a reference group. 3. The prescribing data for each group for 5 months immediately prior to and 5 months following intervention were compared. 4. Intervention produced a significant increase (P less than 0.005) in the prescribing cost of ibuprofen, the non-steroidal promoted as first choice agent, which was sustained for at least 5 months. 5. Prescribing of the second choice agent, piroxicam, decreased in the reference group but not in the intervention group. 6. There was a decrease in the average prescribing cost of pounds 6.60 per doctor per month in the intervention group compared with the reference group.

Keywords:
Costs and Cost Analysis Drug Information Services* Drug Prescriptions*/economics Drug Prescriptions*/statistics & numerical data Family Practice* Humans