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Berning P, Schroer AE, Adhikari R, Razavi AC, Cornelis FH, Erinjeri JP, Solomon SB, Sarkar D, Vargas HA, Schöder H, Fox JJ, Dzaye O. Online searches for hepatocellular carcinoma drugs mirror prescription trends across specialties and changes in guideline recommendations. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1324095. [PMID: 38406802 PMCID: PMC10884243 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1324095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Background & aims The treatment options for systemically progressed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have significantly expanded in recent years. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the potential of Google searches as a reflection of prescription rates for HCC drugs in the United States (US). Methods We conducted an in-depth analysis of US prescription data obtained from the IQVIA National Prescription Audit (NPA) and corresponding Google Trends data from January 2017 to December 2022. We focused on drugs used in the first line and second or later treatment lines for HCC, collecting data on their prescriptions and search rates. Search volumes were collected as aggregated search queries for both generic drugs and their respective brand names. Results During the study period from Q1 2017 to Q4 2022, monthly prescriptions for drugs used in HCC treatment showed an 173% increase (from 1253 to 3422). Conversely online searches increased by 3.5% (from 173 to 179 per 10 million searches). Notably, strong correlations were observed between search interest and prescriptions for newer drugs, which indicates increasing usage, while older drugs with declining usage displayed limited correlation. Our findings suggest a growing role of non-physician professions in managing systemically progressed HCC within the US healthcare system, although oncologists remained primarily responsible for drug prescriptions. Conclusions In conclusion, online search monitoring can offer the potential to reflect prescription trends specifically related to the treatment of HCC. This approach provides a swift and accessible means of evaluating the evolving landscape of HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Berning
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Adrian E. Schroer
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Rishav Adhikari
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Alexander C. Razavi
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Francois H. Cornelis
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Joseph P. Erinjeri
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Stephen B. Solomon
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Debkumar Sarkar
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Heiko Schöder
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Josef J. Fox
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Omar Dzaye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
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Dzaye O, Berning P, Razavi AC, Adhikari R, Jha K, Nasir K, Ayers JW, Mortensen MB, Blaha MJ. Online searches for SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists correlate with prescription rates in the United States: An infodemiological study. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:936651. [PMID: 35966558 PMCID: PMC9372305 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.936651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Several clinical trials have demonstrated that many SGLT-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with Type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Recent reports indicate an underutilization of new cardiometabolic drugs, including SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA. We aimed to evaluate the use of online search volumes to reflect United States prescription rates. A repeated cross-sectional analysis of Google search volumes and corresponding data from the IQVIA National Prescription Audit (NPA) of pharmacy dispensing of newly prescribed drugs was performed. Monthly data for online searches and prescription between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2021 were collected for selected SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA. Prescription data for drugs classes (SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA) and individual drugs were calculated as the total of queried data for branded drug names. Trends were analyzed for visual and quantitative correlation as well as predictive patterns. Overall, online searches increased by 157.6% (95% CI: 142.2-173.1%) and 295.2% (95% CI: 257.7-332.6%) for SGLT2i and GLP-1RA between 2016 and 2021. Prescription rates raised by 114.6% (95% CI: 110.8-118.4%) and 221.0% (95% CI: 212.1-229.9%) for SGLT2i and GLP-1RA for this period. Correlation coefficients (range 0.86-0.99) were strongest for drugs with growing number of prescriptions, for example dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, ertugliflozin, dulaglutide, and semaglutide. Online searches might represent an additional tool to monitor the utilization trends of cardiometabolic drugs. Associations were strongest for drugs with reported cardioprotective effect. Thus, trends in online searches complement conventionally acquired data to reflect and forecast prescription trends of cardiometabolic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar Dzaye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Philipp Berning
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, Münster, Germany
| | - Alexander C. Razavi
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Emory Center for Heart Disease Prevention, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Rishav Adhikari
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Kunal Jha
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Khurram Nasir
- Division of Cardiovascular Prevention and Wellness, Department of Cardiology, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - John W. Ayers
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Martin Bødtker Mortensen
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Michael J. Blaha
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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