Do free or low-cost antibiotic promotions alter prescription filling habits?

Do free or low-cost antibiotic promotions alter prescription filling habits?

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Objective: Because free sample of prescription medications have been shown to Control Panel Trim influence prescribing habits of physicians, we sought to discern if promotional efforts of a retail pharmacy influenced prescriptions filled in our county after a free antibiotic program was initiated.Methods: Retrospective analysis of prescription antibiotics filled throughout the county was performed.Prescriptions filled during the first 6 months of the year before the program was initiated were compared to prescriptions filled during the first 6 months of the year immediately following initiation of the promotion.

Results: A total of 436,372 antibiotic prescriptions were dispensed during that time.The number of antibiotics filled that were included in the promotion increased by 13.4% while the number of antibiotics filled that were excluded from the promotion decreased by 20.

4%.Conclusion: These data suggest that the promotional pricing of the antibiotics had a significant impact on the number of prescriptions filled in each category.Because a prescription written does not always equate to a prescription IEC filled, further investigation is needed to confirm the relationship between these promotions and actual prescriber habits.