Association of Industry Payments to Physicians With the Prescribing of Brand-name Statins in Massachusetts
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational linkage study
OpenAlex W2346692005 · doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1709
What was done
This cross-sectional study linked 2011 Medicare Part D prescription claims data with the Massachusetts physician payment database for all licensed Massachusetts physicians prescribing statins under Medicare Part D. Linear regression was used to analyze the association between total industry payments and specific payment types received by physicians and their rate of prescribing brand-name versus generic statins.
What was found
Among 2,444 physicians with 1,559,003 statin claims (356,807 [22.8%] brand-name), 899 (36.8%) received industry payments, most commonly for company-sponsored meals (639 [71.1%]). Physicians receiving no payments had a median brand-name prescribing rate of 17.8% (95% CI, 17.2%-18.4%). For every $1,000 in total payments received, the brand-name prescribing rate increased by 0.1% (95% CI, 0.06%-0.13%; P < .001). Payments for educational training were associated with a 4.8% increase in brand-name prescribing (P = .004); other payment types showed no significant association.
Why it matters
Industry payments to physicians, especially for educational training, are associated with increased prescribing of more expensive brand-name statins over generics, contributing to higher drug costs.
Limits
The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality or determine whether payments influenced prescribing or targeted physicians already prescribing brand-name statins. Data are restricted to Medicare Part D beneficiaries, one state (Massachusetts), a single drug class, and one calendar year (2011).
Cited by
- supports Research in Massachusetts found that physicians who received payments from pharmaceutical companies prescribed measurably more brand-name statins.