Results from an Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicine survey reveals physicians' perceptions and behaviors regarding biologics and biosimilars.
This survey was administered over the Internet to 376 physician prescribers across multiple specialties, including endocrinology, oncology, nephrology and neurology. Key findings from the survey include the following:
Physicians prefer product names in references
• More than half (66 percent) of respondents refer to product names for recording information in patient charts rather than the national drug code number.
• A majority (86 percent) of respondents refer to product names rather than the NCD number for reporting adverse events.
Interchangeability can pose risks to patients
• 64 percent of surveyed physicians assume if products have the same product name, a patient can be safely switched from one product to another during treatment.
• More than 76 percent view products with the same scientific name as structurally identical.
Physicians are concerned about their patients
• 85 percent of respondents want the authority to designate a biologic medicine as "dispensed as written," just as they have it for chemical products.
• 86 percent of physicians want to be notified before a patient is switched to a biologic other than the one prescribed, even if there are no known concerns associated with the product.
This survey was administered over the Internet to 376 physician prescribers across multiple specialties, including endocrinology, oncology, nephrology and neurology. Key findings from the survey include the following:
Physicians prefer product names in references
• More than half (66 percent) of respondents refer to product names for recording information in patient charts rather than the national drug code number.
• A majority (86 percent) of respondents refer to product names rather than the NCD number for reporting adverse events.
Interchangeability can pose risks to patients
• 64 percent of surveyed physicians assume if products have the same product name, a patient can be safely switched from one product to another during treatment.
• More than 76 percent view products with the same scientific name as structurally identical.
Physicians are concerned about their patients
• 85 percent of respondents want the authority to designate a biologic medicine as "dispensed as written," just as they have it for chemical products.
• 86 percent of physicians want to be notified before a patient is switched to a biologic other than the one prescribed, even if there are no known concerns associated with the product.
More Articles on Medication Safety:
Reduced Out-of-Pocket Expenses Boost Medication Adherence
14 California Hospitals Fined for Patient Safety Errors
Patient Safety Tool: Medication Calendar
