Physicians Eagerly Await Xarelto but Generic Price Advantage Could be a Sticking Point

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Sermo (http://www.sermo.com), the world's largest online community for physicians, today announced the results of a new Sermo Category Report titled "Anticoagulant Therapies: Physicians Social Media Conversations." The report analyzes a full year of peer-to-peer conversations about blood clotting, anticoagulation, anti-platelet, and thrombolytic treatments. According to the findings, although physicians highly anticipate Xarelto (Bayer/ Johnson & Johnson), they have concerns about its safety and cost. Many physicians note that generics will likely benefit from an assumed price advantage even though the potential for Xarelto is high.

"Physicians constantly need to walk a fine line, weighing the risk of stroke against the risk of bleeding," said Dr. Adam Sharp, Chief Medical Officer at Sermo.  "If Xarelto can help balance these risks through an oral, non-monitored treatment, it has a lot of potential to encourage compliance and improve patient satisfaction.  Physicians on Sermo are optimistic to see if Xarelto can deliver on this promise, but still have questions about safety and cost."

Although speculation about Xarelto makes it standout among physician discussion about anticoagulants, risk management and existing treatment options drive much of the conversation.  The report closely examines which issues are discussed most frequently, how physicians feel about brands and therapies, and changes in physician perception about treatments over time.

Top companies and medications analyzed in this report include Coumadin (Bristol-Myers Squibb), Xarelto (Bayer/Johnson & Johnson), Plavix (Bristol-Myers Squibb/sanofi-aventis), Lovenox (sanofi-aventis), Effient (Eli Lilly), Heparin, and thrombolytics.

Thrombosis is the 5th most discussed medical condition within the Sermo community.  Leveraging Sermo's social media platform, the report analyzes more than 5,000 comments generated by 1,672 physicians from 2/09-1/10.  

Visit http://www.sermo.com/client/anticoagulants or call 877-778-3963 to learn more about this report.

About Sermo Category Reports:

Everyday, physicians on Sermo have discussions that shape their practices and prescribing behavior. Sermo Category Reports tap into these peer-peer conversations to provide valuable market intelligence not possible through other channels. Reports are in PowerPoint format and include full discussion analysis. Learn more.

About Sermo

Sermo is the largest online physician community in the US, where over 112,000 practicing physicians collaborate to improve patient care. Through a unique set of social media tools, Sermo provides access to its community for organizations that need fast, actionable MD insights into treatments, drugs and devices. Visit http://www.sermo.com or call client services at 877-778-3963 to learn more.  

SOURCE Sermo