Survey shows why patients see urologists

During the year ending September 2000, urologists wrote 25.3 million retail prescriptions, 5% more than in the previous 12-month period, according to Newtown, PA-based Scott-Levin's Source™ Prescription Audit.

The top five therapeutic classes prescribed by these specialists were drugs for benign prostate disorders (10.6%), drugs for sexual function disorders (10.4%), urinary tract antispasmodics (10%), quinolone antibiotics (9.2%) and alpha-blockers (8.5%).

Urologists received nearly 30 million visits from patients during the year ending September 2000, 2% fewer than in the prior 12-month period, reports Scott-Levin's Physician Drug & Diagnosis Audit. The top three reasons for these visits were prostate hyperplasia (15%), prostate cancer (11%) and disorders of the penis (6%).

Prescriptions written by urologists generated nearly $1.4 billion in retail sales during the year ending September 2000, a 12% increase from the previous 12-month span, according to the audit. The top five companies benefiting from urologists' prescriptions were New York-based Pfizer Inc. ($227 million); Pharmacia Corp., Peapack, NJ ($121 million); AstraZeneca, Wilmington, DE ($112 million); Bayer Corp., West Haven, CT ($112 million); and Boehringer Ingelheim Corp., Ridgefield, CT ($102 million).

Pharmaceutical sales representatives made 800,000 details to urologists in the year ending September 2000, reports Scott-Levin's Personal Selling Audit/Hospital Personal Selling Audit. Reps most often called on urologists to promote Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) (12% of the total), Detrol™ (tolterodine tartrate tablets) (11% of the total), Cipro® (ciprofloxacin) (8% of the total), Levaquin™ (levofloxacin tablets) (7% of the total) and Ditropan® XL (oxybutynin chloride) (7% of the total).

During the same time period, Scott-Levin's Physician Meeting & Event Audit shows that urologists attended nearly 5,600 events held by pharmaceutical companies; Viagra (11% of events), Detrol (10% of events) and Proscar® (finasteride) (5% of events) were the top event topics. PR