Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Jun 2001
Comparative StudyNon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug prescribing patterns in general practice: comparison of a general practitioner-based survey and a pharmacy-based survey in France.
In order to assess biases occurring in primary care prescription studies, we compared non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) prescribing patterns reported by general practitioners directly (GP-based survey) and from a pharmacy-based survey of general practitioner prescribing (pharmacy-based survey). ⋯ GPs who actively participate in prescription surveys exhibit prescribing patterns that fit better with official recommendations than the average. Although selection biases cannot be ruled out, it is suggested that some changes in GP prescription habits may have been induced by the survey itself.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Jun 2001
Impact of the Minimum Pricing Policy and introduction of brand (generic) substitution into the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in Australia.
To describe the effects of introducing the Minimum Pricing Policy (MPP) and generic (brand) substitution in 1990 and 1994 respectively on the dispensing of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescriptions both at the aggregate and individual patient level. ⋯ The introduction in 1990 of the Minimum Pricing Policy without allowing generic substitution had a relatively small impact on the selection of medicines within the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. However the effect of generic substitution at the pharmacist level, which was introduced in December 1994, resulted in a marked increase in the percentage of eligible PBS items dispensed at benchmark. Case studies showed a larger premium resulted in a greater shift of patients from drugs with a brand premium to the benchmark alternative.