Pharmaceutical Sales—A Method of Disease Surveillance?

A dramatic increase in sales of nonprescription antidiarrheal medications in 1993 alerted public health officials to a massive cryptosporidiosis outbreak in Milwaukee. To determine whether similar sales increases occurred during other large enteric disease outbreaks, investigators of four other cryt...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental health 1997-11, Vol.60 (4), p.8-14
Main Authors: Rodman, Jane Somsel, Frost, Floyd, Davis-Burchat, Lili, Fraser, David, Langer, Jeff, Jakubowski, Walter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Antidiarrheals
Cryptosporidiosis
Digestive system
Disease
Disease outbreaks
Diseases
Drug monitoring
Drug utilization
Environmental health
Epidemiology
FEATURES
Medications
Methods
Nonprescription drugs
Patient monitoring
Pharmaceutical services
Pharmacies
Physiologic monitoring
Public health
Sales
Sales reporting
Surveillance
Surveys
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Summary:A dramatic increase in sales of nonprescription antidiarrheal medications in 1993 alerted public health officials to a massive cryptosporidiosis outbreak in Milwaukee. To determine whether similar sales increases occurred during other large enteric disease outbreaks, investigators of four other crytosporidiosis outbreaks were contacted. Limited sales increases during two outbreaks and a large sales increase during another outbreak were observed. A survey of all state health departments found that 10 reported using or considering using drug sales for some disease surveillance activities. To ascertain the feasibility of monitoring drug sales as a method of disease surveillance, an antidiarrheal-drug-sales surveillance program was established in New Mexico. Several sources, including retail drug stores, manufacturers, and national database companies and marketers, were contacted, but these sources were either unable to provide the sales information or unable to provide it inexpensively. By contrast, statewide data were obtained at a reasonable cost from a New Mexico drug distributor. The patterns of monthly drug sales of antidiarrheal medications varied significantly over the course of a year and by geographic area. Temporal variations in calls concerning diarrhea to a local nurse hotline partially matched the variation in monthly drug sales.
ISSN:0022-0892