New Findings from University of Colorado in Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy Provides New Insights (Primary Care Physicians Prescribe Fewer Expensive Combination Medications Than Dermatologists for Acne: a Retrospective Review): Drugs and Therapies – Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy

2026 JAN 15 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at NewsRx Drug Daily -- Current study results on Drugs and Therapies - Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy have been published. According to news reporting out of Aurora, Colorado, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Many dermatologic medications are available as expensive combination products, though their lower-cost, generic components are available. Underutilization of these cheaper replacements is common and influenced by several factors, including prescriber’s knowledge and disease severity.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Colorado, “To characterize differences in prescribing patterns for high-vs lower-cost dermatologic agents for acne between dermatologists and primary care physicians (PCPs). Using an administrative insurance claims database, IQVIA PharMetrics Plus for Academics, we identified medication claims between January 01, 2017, and June 30, 2022. Inclusion criteria were claims for high-cost medications and lower-cost alternatives for patients diagnosed with acne. We excluded patients without continuous insurance enrollment for the previous year. Data collected included patient, prescriber, and prescription characteristics.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Distribution of costs to payers and patients were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Primary Care Physicians Prescribe Fewer Expensive Combination Medications Than Dermatologists for Acne: a Retrospective Review. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 2025;31(12). Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy can be contacted at: Acad Managed Care Pharmacy, 100 N Pitt St, 400, Alexandria, VA 22314-3134, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Sarah J. Billups, University of Colorado, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Aurora, CO 80045, United States. Additional authors for this research include Noah Keime, Lisa M. Schilling, Oliver Titus, Monika Ziogaite, Jeremy Hugh and Robert Dellavalle.

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