Many Physicians Give In to Patient Requests for Brand-Name Medications

Physicians are encouraged to prescribe generic forms of medication when it is available, but pharmaceutical companies use direct-to-consumer advertising and other means to encourage patients to request brand-name drugs. In a national survey of 2900 practicing physicians (response rate, 64%), researchers assessed prescribing practices and relations with pharmaceutical companies.

Nearly 40% of respondents said they would sometimes or often prescribe a brand-name drug when asked by a patient, even if a suitable generic form was available. General internists (compared with pediatricians, cardiologists, or general surgeons), physicians in solo or two-person practices (compared with hospital-based or academic physicians), and physicians in practic…