Do free or low-cost antibiotic promotions alter prescription filling habits?
Jeremy Joslin1, Susan M. Wojcik1, Andrew Fisher2, William D. Grant1
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, United States.
- 2College of Medicine, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, United States.
Received: 31-01-2014; Accepted: 02-08-2014.
Volume 12, Issue 3 · pp. 1–2 · PUBLISHED · DOI:
ABSTRACT
Objective: Because free sample of prescription medications have been shown to influence prescribing habits of physicians, we sought to discern if promotional efforts of a retail pharmacy influenced prescriptions filled in our county after a free antibiotic program was initiated. Methods: Retrospective analysis of prescription antibiotics filled throughout the county was performed. Prescriptions filled during the first 6 months of the year before the program was initiated were compared to prescriptions filled during the first 6 months of the year immediately following initiation of the promotion. Results: A total of 436,372 antibiotic prescriptions were dispensed during that time. The number of antibiotics filled that were included in the promotion increased by 13.4% while the number of antibiotics filled that were excluded from the promotion decreased by 20.4%. Conclusion: These data suggest that the promotional pricing of the antibiotics had a significant impact on the number of prescriptions filled in each category. Because a prescription written does not always equate to a prescription filled, further investigation is needed to confirm the relationship between these promotions and actual prescriber habits.
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Joslin, J., Wojcik, S. M., Fisher, A., & Grant, W. D. (). Do free or low-cost antibiotic promotions alter prescription filling habits?. Pharmacy Practice, 12(3), 1–2.