Less Than 20 Percent of Patients Diagnosed with the Disease Receive
Pharmacotherapy Within a Year of Their Diagnosis, According to a New Report
From Decision Resources
WALTHAM, Mass., April 7, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one
of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and
healthcare issues, finds that Boehringer Ingelheim's Flomax, also marketed
as Astellas's Harnal in Japan, is the physician's drug of choice for newly
diagnosed benign prostatic hyperplasia patients. Garnering more patient
share than any other alpha blocker in first- and second-line therapy for
benign prostatic hyperplasia, Flomax holds a 55.2 percent first-line
patient share, compared with 12.4 percent for Sanofi-Aventis's Uroxatral,
4.8 percent for doxazosin (Pfizer's Cardura/Cardura XL, generics), and 4.3
percent for terazosin (Abbott's Hytrin, generics).
"Flomax stands out among alpha blockers thanks to its lower propensity
to induce orthostatic hypotension, despite evidence of a high incidence of
retrograde ejaculation and higher cost relative to generic agents in this
class", said Nathan Calloway, analyst at Decision Resources. "However,
rather than calling attention to Flomax's side-effect/safety profile, the
highest proportion of urologists we surveyed (83 percent) rank familiarity
with the drug as an important reason to choose Flomax over Uroxatral,
whereas the largest percentage of primary care physicians (66 percent)
believe that Flomax's reimbursement and formulary position is a key
advantage over Uroxatral's."
The report entitled Treatment Algorithms in Benign Prostatic
Hyperplasia also finds that slightly less than one-fifth (18.9 percent) of
newly diagnosed benign prostatic hyperplasia patients receive
pharmacological treatment within one year of their initial diagnosis.
Primary care physicians and urologists surveyed suggest that patient
reluctance to take drugs that are associated with side effects such as
retrograde ejaculation, decreased libido, and hypotension as well as
patients' belief that symptoms will go away on their own are key reasons
for the low drug-treatment rate.
About Treatment Algorithm Insight Series
Decision Resources combines in-depth primary research with the most
extensive claims-based longitudinal patient-level data from PharMetrics(R)
to provide exceptional insight into physicians' prescribing trends and the
factors that drive therapy product choice, from diagnosis through multiple
courses of treatment, for a specific disease.
For each disease examined, Decision Resources' Treatment Algorithm
Insight Series provide the following:
-- Summary of U.S. medical practice based on interviews with leading
experts in the field.
-- Qualitative diagnosis/referral/treatment algorithm for the United
States.
-- Drug usage by lines of therapy (1st, 2nd, 3rd line).
-- Discussion of key freeform combinations by lines of therapy.
-- Product share (class and specific compound level) within each line of
therapy (1st, 2nd, 3rd line).
-- Progression of therapy from key 1st line products.
-- Pathway to key therapies from previous therapies.
-- Qualitative analysis of two-year forecast incorporating upcoming
launches, changes in reimbursement, etc.
About Decision Resources
Decision Resources, Inc., (http://www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader
in healthcare market research publications, advisory services, and
consulting designed to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources, and
master their chosen markets.
All company, brand, or product names contained in this document may be
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
For more information, contact:
Elizabeth Marshall
Decision Resources, Inc.
781-296-2563
emarshall@dresources.com
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