Over 75% of US physicians believe drug switching is occuring without their consent

A recently conducted a survey in the USA on drug switching, which occurs when a patient from the drug originally prescribed by his or her physician is switched to an entirely different chemical entity, revealed that more than three-quarters of doctors believe that switching is occuring without their consent.

The study was conducted by Michael Wong, managing director, Healthcare, at hcCatalyst, which says it is devoted to mobilizing the public to solve tough challenges. Survey respondents were mostly physicians and physician organizations in USA, a total of more than 100.

Drug switching (aka therapeutic substitution) is not the switching of a branded drug for its generic equivalent. Rather, it occurs when the pharmacist, health plan or health insurer gives a drug that is different from the one that the doctor prescribed. Switching from a brand name drug to its chemically equivalent is generic substitution and is generally allowed by law. However, switching to a drug that is not chemically equivalent is generally not allowed without a doctor’s approval - whether that be from branded to generic, generic to another generic, generic to branded, or branded to another branded.