Physicians Anticipate Decline in Use of Brand-name ACE Inhibitors And Calcium Channel Blockers in Recent Research Study
Wednesday January 8, 9:45 am ET
BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- A potential shift in prescriptions for major antihypertensive drugs is possible in 2003, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the marketing informatics firm marketRx. In the study, U.S. physicians treating hypertension reported the anticipated changes in their prescribing patterns of the popular antihypertensive agents. The potential shift follows release of the "ALLHAT" study results on December 18, which showed low-cost thiazide diuretics to be generally as effective in improving patients' health as more expensive prescription drugs.
When asked to compare their prescribing patterns prior to the ALLHAT study with their anticipated prescribing patterns, the physicians in the marketRx study anticipated an immediate increase in their recommendations for diuretics.
Physicians interviewed expect to decrease net use of ACE inhibitors overall. Reduced use of ACE inhibitors alone may be partially counterbalanced by a rise in prescribing of combination therapies, which include diuretics. Similarly, prescriptions for calcium channel blockers could decline overall. These results are generally consistent for all three specialty groups interviewed for the research: cardiology, internal medicine and family practice physicians.
An additional finding is that even while continuing to use ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers, physicians expect to increasingly shift from branded agents to generics. These physicians expect the percentage of their patients on generic ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers to jump in 2003.
Despite the somewhat negative findings for the branded ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers, physicians indicated continued interest in particular agents, especially in combination with diuretics. Some of the specific products in these classes are expected to show sharp declines, while prescribing levels of some branded drugs are expected to increase.
"These results underscore changes now underway in the treatment of hypertension," said Jassi Chadha, President and CEO of marketRx. "Our research quickly followed the breaking news and we are working diligently to help many of our customers understand the impact on their portfolio. Already, 80% of physicians interviewed were aware of the ALLHAT results. We expect that, once all physicians have fully discussed and digested the results of the new ALLHAT study, we may see significant shifts in prescribing patterns."
About the marketRx Antihypertensive Market Study - marketRx contacted active prescribers of antihypertensive drugs during December 26-27, 2002. Cardiologists, internists and family care physicians were evenly represented in the study. Physicians reported an average of >500 patients under their personal care for hypertension. All respondents were invited to participate in a survey hosted at SurveyRx.com, the online market research site for physicians owned by marketRx. Physicians were compensated for their participation in the research. To purchase the full results of the study, please contact marketRx.
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