A recent study conducted by researchers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City has investigated whether financial support from pharmaceutical companies to doctors and clinics affects the choice of medication prescribed. The study focused on four cancer drugs and examined the relationship between the financial support received by American oncologists and the subsequent prescription of these drugs. The drugs in question were those that medical societies no longer recommend due to negative results in clinical trials or for which cheaper alternatives exist. The study found that financial support from pharmaceutical companies strongly influences the choice of medication prescribed.
To obtain an overview of the financial and factual support received, the researchers used the Open Payments database. In the United States, doctors who receive support from manufacturers are legally required to report it. The researchers were able to track the medication choices of doctors using billing information from the Medicare program, which supports older people with their medication costs and also lists the names of prescribing doctors. The data showed that doctors who received financial support were more likely to prescribe Denosumab (49.5% compared to 31.4%), GCSF (32.1% compared to 26.6%), and Nab-Paclitaxel (15.1% compared to 7.3%). Original medications (83.5%) were less frequently prescribed than generics (88.3%).
The study’s findings suggest that financial support from pharmaceutical companies has a significant impact on the choice of medication prescribed by doctors and clinics. The researchers hope that their study will raise awareness of this issue and encourage greater transparency in the relationship between doctors and pharmaceutical companies.
