‘Dear Doctor’ Letters Use Peer Pressure, Government Warning To Stop Overprescribing

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August 7th, 2018

About a decade ago, the FDA started requiring drugmakers to add black box warnings to labels and prescribing information for Soroquel and other antipsychotic drugs. The agency made the change after the medications were linked to an increased risk of death among elderly dementia patients.

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The antipsychotic drug Seroquel was approved by the FDA years ago to help people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other serious mental illnesses. But too frequently the drug is also given to people who have Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. The problem with that? Seroquel can be deadly for dementia patients, according to the FDA.

Now some researchers have conducted an experiment that convinced some of the general practice doctors who prescribe Seroquel most frequently to cut back.

All the scientists did was have Medicare send letters — three of them over the course of six months — to the roughly 5,000 general practitioners who prescribe Seroquel the most.

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