August 08, 2005
Eli Lilly discounts on basis of withholding information:
Stay Free Daily! has an article on a contract being used by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, which promises discounts to large purchasers of antidepressants, as long as they don't inform physicians about certain negative information about the drug.
The Wall Street Journal have also covered the story (full text at Stay Free link):
The Cymbalta discount contract offers large purchasers of antidepressants a 5% discount, but specifies that they could lose most of that discount if they engage in, among other things, "negative D.U.R. correspondence to physicians."
While not defined in the contract, D.U.R. is industry shorthand for "drug utilization review," a kind of analysis of prescription patterns that insurers often use to identify inappropriate or risky practices and often also to cut costs.
Link to Stay Free Daily! story.
PDF of Eli Lilly contract.
