Can Physicians Keep Up? A Quantification of New Information on the Top 25 Drugs from 2000 to 2003

Abstract

The body of knowledge regarding pharmaceutical products is dynamic and growing. Physicians have available to them a number of information sources for drug-related decision making in their practice. Historical and recent publications present medical literature and conferences as sources for information on pharmaceutical products. While historical reports have detailed large volumes of information William B. Lobb, RPh, MS, is a doctoral candidate in

Practitioner Perspectives on Key Challenges in Pharmaceutical Marketing and Future Research Opportunities

“…The information needed not only to understand each drug but also to accurately weigh the possible side effects against their benefits and further compare a drug’s cost–benefit profile with that of its competing alternatives presents a considerable challenge to patients and physicians alike. For instance, it has been estimated that a physician would need to read 15 scholarly articles daily just to stay informed on the top 25 most prescribed drugs (Lobb and Kolassa 2006).…”

“…• Over 20,000 prescription drugs have approval for marketing by the FDA (2021) • Dozens of new drugs are introduced each year (Mikulic 2021) • Estimated that a physician would need to read 15 scholarly articles daily just to stay informed on the top 25 most prescribed drugs (Lobb and Kolassa 2006) Proposed Solutions…”

“…The "Sunshine Act" passed in 2010 (Grundy et al 2018;Hwong, Sah, and Lehmann 2017;Mulinari and Ozieranski 2022) • Pro: requires pharmaceutical companies to publicly report financial ties to physicians/hospitals • Con: patients responsible for sifting through even more information to reap benefits of the act understand each drug but also to accurately weigh the possible side effects against their benefits and further compare a drug's cost-benefit profile with that of its competing alternatives presents a considerable challenge to patients and physicians alike. For instance, it has been estimated that a physician would need to read 15 scholarly articles daily just to stay informed on the top 25 most prescribed drugs (Lobb and Kolassa 2006).…”