ODs prescribe $1 billion in pharmaceuticals
September 28, 2012Optometrists prescribed $1,050,259,458 in pharmaceuticals over the 12-month period ending July 31, according to industry tracking data compiled by Allergan, Inc.
That marks the first time the nation’s optometrists have ever prescribed a total of $1 billion in pharmaceuticals over a 12-month period, according to Dave Gibson, Allergan’s U.S. director of optometric professional relations and strategic initiatives.
The data, representing pharmaceuticals from all manufacturers, was collected through the IMS, Vector One: National (VONA) database, which tracks dispensing of prescription pharmaceuticals in retail pharmacies.
It includes only prescriptions filled through traditional “brick-and-mortar” pharmacies, Gibson noted. Mail order sales would probably add another $100 million to the total, he estimated.
