Direct-to-Consumer Sale of Prescription Drugs by Pharmaceutical Companies: An Assessment of the Patient Experience?

Direct-to-consumer sale of prescription medications by pharmaceutical companies has emerged as a novel delivery method. It is important to ensure that patients who choose this method are receiving adequate pharmaceutical care that meets established practice standards. The objective of this study was to assess consultation for patients who are receiving medications via direct-to-consumer sales of prescription drugs from pharmaceutical companies. We conducted a blinded telephone survey using 10 mock prescriptions for simulated patients (secret shoppers) by contacting the 2 companies currently offering prescription medications for sale directly to consumers. Simulated patients in this pilot study only had a pharmacist initiate consultation for 20% of the calls. Multiple pharmacy technicians offered consultation and this behavior does not follow state statutes. In addition, technicians also failed to forward calls to the pharmacist-on-duty, instead suggesting the patients contact their physicians. On a further direct request to speak to a pharmacist, a consultation did occur for 90% of the calls. However, the consultation failed to achieve practice standards set by Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 and the state statutes for the majority of the encounters. These results warrant a larger scale study of consultation for direct-to-consumer prescription sales. In addition, they highlight areas for training needed for all pharmacy personnel who work in this venue.