Healthy Skepticism Library item: 18410

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: Electronic Source

Rich
What do physicians think of 'Avandia' mess ?
World of DTC Marketing 2010 July 13
http://web.archive.org/web/20101225124058/http://worldofdtcmarketing.com/what-do-physicians-think-of-avandia-mess/marketing-to-health-care-professionals/

Full text:

Yesterday I received a call from a client who wanted to readdress some of the market research we did around the relationship of a drug company and physicians. He was concerned that the latest news around Avandia and GSK might have an impact on the whole industry. After we talked our market research agency agreed to contact 100 physicians by phone and ask three questions.

The three questions we asked were:

1. Do you see/have patients who have Type 2 diabetes ? (no terminate)

2. Have you, over the last 2-4 years written Rx’s for Avandia ?

3. Are you aware of the current news surrounding past Avandia clinical trials ?

4. How is this news effecting your choice of medications for your diabetic patients & how do you feel about drug company clinical trial information that is available ?

We wanted to target 100 physicians the the phone interviews were conducted yesterday via the telephone to primary care physicians.

RESPONSE:

Physicians who see diabetes patients are “aware” of the current controversy around Avandia clinical trial data.
The majority of physicians (+75%) who have written Rx’s for Avandia are either switching patients to other medications or would feel much better if patients were on other medications.
Asked to describe their attitude of “drug company presented clinical trial data” most said they were “very disappointed”. Interesting to not that not only were they disappointed in GSK but almost half said they were also disappointed in the FDA.
Finally a majority (67%) said that this would NOT taint all clinical trial data but that it depends on what company is presenting the data. A direct quote “if you’re asking me if I trust some pharmaceutical companies more than others, the answer would have to be yes, I do”
My client wanted me to share these preliminary findings with readers because like he said “this is just too big and effects too many of us” to keep closed.

Given the additional news stories today that GSK withheld data our market research agency wants to do another phone research panel later this week to see if the story has momentum.

Lot’s of negative buzz around Avandia on Twitter