NEWS More Than 90% of HMO Pharmacy Directors and Physicians View Off-Label Prescribing as an Acceptable Practice in the Management of Arthritis Pain

[Guest guest]

More Than 90% of HMO Pharmacy Directors and Physicians View Off-Label

Prescribing as an Acceptable Practice in the Management of Arthritis Pain

Monday September 20, 8:04 am ET

Advertising of Arthritis Pain Therapies Reaches 55-75% of Patients,

According to a New Report from Decision Resources

WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, Inc., one of

the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and

health care issues, finds that more than 90% of HMO pharmacy directors and

physicians view off-label prescribing as an acceptable practice in the

management of arthritis pain. According to a new PhysicianForum report

entitled Arthritis Pain Management: Current Medical Practice and Future

Evolution of the Market, the drug classes most commonly prescribed off-label

for arthritic pain management are antiepileptics and antidepressants.

The report also finds that advertising of arthritis pain therapies reaches

55-75% of patients. Pfizer's Celebrex and Merck's Vioxx are the most

frequently remembered advertisements.

" Although advertising of arthritis pain therapies reaches 55-75% of

patients, only 15-25% of patients request an arthritis pain therapy from

their physician based on an advertisement, " said Alice von Loesecke, senior

director at Decision Resources. " Patients report their most commonly

requested therapies are the three COX-2s (Celebrex, Vioxx, and Pfizer's

Bextra) and various opiates. "

Arthritis Pain Management: Current Medical Practice and Future Evolution of

the Market is based on a survey of 25 HMO pharmacy directors, 95 primary

care physicians, 53 rheumatologists, 364 osteoarthritis patients (51%

female, 49% male), 147 rheumatoid arthritis patients (48% female, 52% male),

and 69 dual-diagnosis rheumatoid arthritis + osteoarthritis patients (59%

female, 41% male) throughout the United States. Their responses were

compared to assess similarities and differences in clinical, economic, and

scientific factors.