Title: New Clinical Information and Physician Prescribing: How Do Pediatric Labeling Changes Affect Prescribing to Children?

Speaker: Assistant Professor Nina Yin, Central University of Finance and Economics

Time: November 25th, 2016 13:30–15:00  

Venue: Conference Room 106B, Zhonghui Building (College of Economics, JNU)

Abstract:

This paper investigates the impact of pediatric clinical studies and labeling changes, induced by 1997 pediatric exclusivity provision, on the physician's prescribing of pediatric drugs. With unique handly-collected medical information data (about labeling changes and scientific publications about the clinical studies) and NAMCS prescribing data, by adopting DID strategy, we compare prescribing for children and adults in response to different types of labeling changes. Our results indicate that physicians' responsiveness to the new scientific information is not symmetric: Physician prescribing behavior shifts in response to negative clinical trial outcomes, but unaffected by positive labeling changes. It suggests that new negative information included in a drug's label can lead physicians to reduce previous patterns of inefficient off-label prescribing while positive information does not alter previously established patterns of pediatric prescribing. Evidences suggest that the promotion and the dissemination of scientific publications have strong associations with physician prescribing.