Few First-Line Patients Receive Dopamine Agonists Despite These Agents' Ability to Stave Off Levodopa Treatment, According to a New Report from Decision Resources WALTHAM, Mass., July 17
WALTHAM, Mass., July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the
world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and
healthcare issues, finds that only 44.4 percent of Parkinson's disease
patients receive drug treatment within one year of their initial diagnosis.
Most surveyed neurologists attribute this low percentage of therapy initiation
on presentation of mild symptoms of the disease. However, surveyed primary
care physicians cite misdiagnosis or uncertainty surrounding diagnosis of
Parkinson's or lack of physician experience as reasons to not prescribe drug
therapy for the disease. Given these barriers to primary care
physician-initiated drug treatment, lack of referral to specialists is a key
driver of the low drug treatment rate in this disease.
The new report entitled Treatment Algorithms in Parkinson's Disease also
finds that a small percent of first-line patients (20.9 percent) receive
dopamine agonists despite these agents' ability to stave off levodopa
treatment (whose long-term use is associated with motor response
complications). Fewer surveyed primary care physicians prescribe dopamine
agonists, which include Boehringer Ingelheim's Mirapex, GlaxoSmithKline's
Requip, generics (ropinirole) and UCB/Schwarz Pharma's Neupro (rotigotine), as
a first-line therapy compared with surveyed neurologists.
Overall, a higher percentage of Parkinson's disease patients are left
untreated in the care of primary care physicians compared with those left
untreated by neurologists. Decision Resources believes that these differences
may arise, in part, because of a lower awareness among primary care physicians
regarding the benefits of initiating dopamine agonists as a first-line drug to
patients-especially younger patients-in early stages of the disease.
"Similar to the attitudes of interviewed thought leaders, neurologists we
surveyed consider a patient's disease severity and age when deciding between
dopamine agonist and levodopa treatment," said Madhuri Borde, Ph.D., analyst
at Decision Resources. "However, while surveyed primary care physicians also
take into account disease severity, a much smaller percentage of clinicians
within this physician group are influenced by a person's age at the time of
treatment compared with surveyed neurologists."
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 provides the following:
-- Summary of United States 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 (www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader in market
research publications, advisory services and consulting designed to help
clients shape strategy, allocate resources and master their chosen markets.
Decision Resources is a Decision Resources, Inc. company.
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
781-296-2563
emarshall@dresources.com
SOURCE Decision Resources
