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Characterizing early prescribers of newly marketed drugs in Canada: a population-based study

  • Pharmacoepidemiology and Prescription
  • Published:
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The diffusion of innovations model proposes that early adopters of innovation influence others. This study was undertaken to determine if early prescribers and users of newly marketed drugs had different sociodemographic and professional characteristics as compared to majority and late users and prescribers.

Methods

After market availability in Manitoba, Canada, of celecoxib, alendronate, clopiodogrel and pantoprazole, time to first prescriptions was determined. Early, majority and late adopters of the new drug were characterized by this diffusion time. The prescription, health and prescriber records were compared across adopter categories. The likelihood of being an early or late prescriber or user of the new medications according to patient demographic characteristics, physician factors (specialty and place of training) and neighborhood income was determined with polytomous logistic regression.

Results

Celecoxib demonstrated a much more rapid uptake into routine use than the other drugs. More than 300 Manitoba physicians prescribed celecoxib within two weeks of market availability. Early prescribers of celecoxib were more likely than majority prescribers to be general practitioners (OR = 1.81, 95%CI: 1.40–2.35) and have hospital affiliations (OR = 1.35, 95%CI: 1.03–1.77). Early users of celecoxib were more likely than the majority to have arthritic conditions, have a high income and have paid out-of-pocket for their prescription. For alendronate, clopidogrel and pantoprazole, only prescription drug coverage predicted adopter category. Early prescribers of one new drug were not early prescribers of the other new drugs.

Conclusion

No common group of patients or physicians who were early prescribers or users of all four medications was described.

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Acknowledgement

Data for this research were accessed from the Population Health Research Data Repository at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. The research was funded through an unrestricted grant from Pfizer (formerly Pharmacia) Inc. Pfizer Inc did not contribute to the research design, data analysis or manuscript writing, and was unaware of the results until they were presented publicly. The manuscript may not reflect Pfizer’s opinion or beliefs. Further, the results and conclusions are those of the authors and no official endorsement by Manitoba Health was intended or should be inferred.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Department of Community Health Sciences and Pediatrics and Child Health, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of Manitoba, 210 Pharmacy Bldg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3T 2N2

    Anita Kozyrskyj

  2. Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, 202 Pharmacy Bldg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3T 2N2

    Colette Raymond & Amber Racher

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  1. Anita Kozyrskyj
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  2. Colette Raymond
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Correspondence to Anita Kozyrskyj.

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Kozyrskyj, A., Raymond, C. & Racher, A. Characterizing early prescribers of newly marketed drugs in Canada: a population-based study. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 63, 597–604 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-007-0277-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-007-0277-5

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