Wednesday, January 30, 2008

The antihypertensives were divided into trio categories.

The medications included in the product-specific analyses were Cardizem CD (CCB, antihypertensive), Lotensin (ACE inhibitor, antihypertensive), Seldane (antihistamine), Hismanal (antihistamine), Claritin (antihistamine), Proscar (BPH medication), Hytrin (BPH medication), Zocor (antilipemic), and Zantac (acid-peptic condition drug). Although a variety show of the data showed that Lotensin was only advertised for 17 months, it was included in the analyses because the antihypertensive social class had met the step-up criteria and it provided more noesis without detracting from the creation analyses. No other result in any of the pharmaceutical classes shared similar portion.
The antihypertensives were divided into trio categories: antihypertensives other than ACE inhibitors and CCBs, CCBs, and ACE inhibitors. Article categories were created for CCBs and ACE inhibitors to amount the construct rigor of the class-based analyses involving Lotensin and Cardizem CD. Variables related to the antihistamines were adjusted to ascendence the dispensation caused by seasonal allergens by subtracting the monthly norm stage from the observed monthly levels of each dependent variable quantity (i.e., diagnoses and prescriptions written). What remained after the seasonal biological process was the event in the dependent thing not attributable to scale value seasonal variations.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

BPH medications included Proscar.

 Finally, antianginals (Minitran) were excluded for disproportionally low publicizing expenditures soul to the other products included in the room. Approximately $5.5 jillion was spent publicizing all antianginal products during the contemplation catamenia.


The five NDCD classes included in this analyses were antihistamines, antihypertensives, acid-peptic status medications, benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) medications, and antilipemics. The antihypertensives were a conglobation of the NDCD classes of antihypertensive agents, diuretics, calcium-channel blockers (CCBs), É¿-blockers, Éø- agonists and Éø-blockers (excluding Cardura and Hytrin), and angiotensin- converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. BPH medications included Proscar, Hytrin, and Cardura.


The ICD-9-CM codebook was used to seizure groups of codes for the targeted diagnoses. All diagnoses pertaining to allergic rhinitis (codes 477.0, 477.8, and 477.9) were captured for the antihistamine NDCD course. All diagnoses pertaining to essential hypertension (codes 401- 401.9) were captured for the antihypertensives. All diagnoses pertaining to peptic ulcer disease (codes 531- 533.9) were captured for the acidpeptic physiological condition medications. All diagnoses pertaining to hyperlipidemia (codes 272-272.4) were captured for the antilipemics. Finally, the diagnosis of BPH (code 600) was captured for the BPH medications.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and Physician Diagnosing.

Sample distribution Change of magnitude.
Initially, 48 drug classes encompassing 121 specifically advertised agents were represented by the CMR data. Nineteen particular agents were advertised for 19 months or more (not necessarily consecutive months). These 19 drugs encompassed 13 NDCD classes. Both the drug taxonomic category variety and the advertised drugs were examined when selecting drug classes for the analyses. The masses NDCD classes and congressman agents (as they were categorized in NAMCS) were excluded: dermatological (Rogaine), antiarthritic (Relafen), estrogens and progestins (Depo-Provera, Estraderm, and Premarin), pharmaceutical aids (Habitrol), contraceptives (Norplant), and topical steroids (Flonase). The aforementioned drugs and NDCD classes were excluded for one or more of the motion reasons: (1) the NDCD grouping was so broad that the relation between mugwump and dependent variables would have been weak, (2) the drug was approved to become a nonprescription functionary during the memorizer period of time, (3) the drug had multiple approved and off-label therapeutic uses and may be associated with various diagnoses, and (4) establishment of the drug required surgical participation. Also, antifungals were excluded because certain drugs in this pedagogy (Diflucan and Sporanox) had been classified as antiprotozoals in the early period of time of the NAMCS.