Price and Preferred Tier main consideration of US physicians in intent to prescribe COPD drugs

US physicians are eager to prescribe Relovair (fluticasone furoate and vilanterol (FF/VI), being developed by GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) and Theravance (Nasdaq: THRX), which is expected to be the first and only once-daily long-acting beta2 agonist/inhaled corticosteroid (LABA/ICS) fixed-dose combination to enter the US market for the treatment of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Although surveyed physicians surveyed by advisory firm Decision Resources view once-daily dosing as Relovair’s most desirable attribute, access to the therapy will be an important determinant of the drug’s use as over 90% of surveyed US pulmonologists and primary care physicians (PCPs) indicate that they will prescribe the drug if it is on a preferred tier (tier 1 or 2) but only about one-third of surveyed physicians will prescribe Relovair if it is on a non-preferred tier (tier 3 or higher). These findings suggest that, in the opinions of prescribers, improvements in dosing will not outweigh additional out-of-pocket costs to the patient.

Conditions for preferred status