Joseph S Ross1,2,3, Stefanie Rohde4, Lindsey Sangaralingham5, Juan P Brito5,6, Lauren Choi7, Sarah K Dutcher8, David J Graham8, Marjorie R Jenkins9, Kasia J Lipska3,10, Martin Mendoza11, Yandong Qiang8, Zhong Wang12, Yute Wu13, Xiaoxi Yao5, Nilay D Shah5. 1. Section of General Internal Medicine and the National Clinician Scholars Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510. 2. Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut 06510. 3. Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut 06510. 4. Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510. 5. Division of Health Care Policy & Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905. 6. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905. 7. Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, Maryland 20993. 8. Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, Maryland 20993. 9. Office of Women's Health, US Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, Maryland 20993. 10. Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510. 11. Office of Minority Health, US Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, Maryland 20993. 12. Office of Generic Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, Maryland 20993. 13. Office of Biostatistics, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, Maryland 20993.
Abstract
CONTEXT: Generic drugs account for 9 out of 10 prescriptions dispensed in the United States but for a lower proportion of commonly prescribed thyroid hormone replacement therapies. OBJECTIVE: Characterize temporal patterns of generic and brand-name thyroid hormone drug use, including patient and prescriber characteristics associated with brand-name use. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional longitudinal analysis of national data from a large administrative claims database from January 2007 through December 2016. PATIENTS: Adults with insurance coverage through commercial, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D health plans. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Generic and brand-name thyroid hormone drug use. RESULTS: From 2007 to 2016, the annual number of thyroid hormone treatment pharmacy fills increased from 8,905,836 in 2007 to 11,613,923 in 2016, 73.6% of which were for generic levothyroxine, 23.4% for brand-name levothyroxine, and the remaining for other formulations. Dispensing of generic thyroid hormone drugs increased from 59.8% in 2007 to 84.9% in 2016 and was consistently higher among Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D when compared with the commercial beneficiary population. For all three beneficiary populations, use of brand-name products was less common among older adults and more common among women and those receiving prescriptions from endocrinologists and was more common among those of white race and with greater household income for the Medicare Advantage and commercial beneficiary populations (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Brand-name thyroid hormone product use declined from 2007 to 2016 among three large, national insurer beneficiary populations. Although certain patient characteristics were associated with brand-name use, prescriber specialty was the strongest predictor.
CONTEXT: Generic drugs account for 9 out of 10 prescriptions dispensed in the United States but for a lower proportion of commonly prescribed thyroid hormone replacement therapies. OBJECTIVE: Characterize temporal patterns of generic and brand-name thyroid hormone drug use, including patient and prescriber characteristics associated with brand-name use. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional longitudinal analysis of national data from a large administrative claims database from January 2007 through December 2016. PATIENTS: Adults with insurance coverage through commercial, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D health plans. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Generic and brand-name thyroid hormone drug use. RESULTS: From 2007 to 2016, the annual number of thyroid hormone treatment pharmacy fills increased from 8,905,836 in 2007 to 11,613,923 in 2016, 73.6% of which were for generic levothyroxine, 23.4% for brand-namelevothyroxine, and the remaining for other formulations. Dispensing of generic thyroid hormone drugs increased from 59.8% in 2007 to 84.9% in 2016 and was consistently higher among Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D when compared with the commercial beneficiary population. For all three beneficiary populations, use of brand-name products was less common among older adults and more common among women and those receiving prescriptions from endocrinologists and was more common among those of white race and with greater household income for the Medicare Advantage and commercial beneficiary populations (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:Brand-name thyroid hormone product use declined from 2007 to 2016 among three large, national insurer beneficiary populations. Although certain patient characteristics were associated with brand-name use, prescriber specialty was the strongest predictor.
Authors: Juan P Brito; Joseph S Ross; Yihong Deng; Lindsey Sangaralingham; David J Graham; Yandong Qiang; Zhong Wang; Xiaoxi Yao; Liang Zhao; Robert C Smallridge; Victor Bernet; Nilay D Shah; Kasia J Lipska Journal: Endocrine Date: 2021-06-05 Impact factor: 3.925
Authors: Juan P Brito; Yihong Deng; Joseph S Ross; Nam Hee Choi; David J Graham; Yandong Qiang; Elena Rantou; Zhong Wang; Liang Zhao; Nilay D Shah; Kasia J Lipska Journal: Endocrine Date: 2022-02-02 Impact factor: 3.925
Authors: Juan P Brito; Joseph S Ross; Lindsey Sangaralingham; Sarah K Dutcher; David J Graham; Zhong Wang; Yute Wu; Xiaoxi Yao; Robert C Smallridge; Victor Bernet; Nilay D Shah; Kasia J Lipska Journal: JAMA Netw Open Date: 2020-09-01