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. 2020 Jul;43(7):677-690.
doi: 10.1007/s40264-020-00922-7.

Drug Safety Issues Covered by Lay Media: A Cohort Study of Direct Healthcare Provider Communications Sent between 2001 and 2015 in The Netherlands

Esther de Vries  1   2 , Petra Denig  1 , Sieta T de Vries  1 , Taco B M Monster  1   2 , Jacqueline G Hugtenburg  3 , Peter G M Mol  4   5
Affiliations

Drug Safety Issues Covered by Lay Media: A Cohort Study of Direct Healthcare Provider Communications Sent between 2001 and 2015 in The Netherlands

Esther de Vries et al. Drug Saf. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Some drug safety issues communicated through direct healthcare professional communications (DHPCs) receive substantial media coverage, while others do not.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the extent of coverage of drug safety issues that have been communicated through DHPCs in newspapers and social media. A secondary aim was to explore which determinants may be associated with media coverage.

Methods: Newspaper articles covering drug safety issues communicated through 387 DHPCs published between 2001 and 2015 were retrieved from LexisNexis Academic™. Social media postings were retrieved from Coosto™ for drugs included in 220 DHPCs published between 2010 and 2015. Coverage of DHPCs by newspapers and social media was assessed during the 2-month and 14-day time periods following issuance of the DHPC, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess potential DHPC- and drug-related determinants of media coverage.

Results: 41 (10.6%) DHPC safety issues were covered in newspaper articles. Newspaper coverage was associated with drugs without a specialist indication [adjusted odds ratio 5.32; 95% confidence interval (2.64-10.73)]. Negative associations were seen for time since market approval [3-5 years 0.30; (0.11-0.82), 6-11 years 0.18; (0.06-0.58)] and year of the DHPC [0.88; (0.81-0.96)]. In the social media, 180 (81.8%) drugs mentioned in 220 DHPCs were covered. Social media coverage was associated with drugs without a specialist indication [6.92; (1.56-30.64)], and for DHPCs communicating clinical safety issues [5.46; (2.03-14.66)].

Conclusions: Newspapers covered a small proportion of DHPC safety issues only. Most drugs mentioned in DHPCs were covered in social media. Coverage in both media were higher for drugs without a specialist indication.

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Conflict of interest statement

Petra Denig, Sieta T. de Vries and Jacqueline G. Hugtenburg have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this study. Esther de Vries, Taco B.M Monster and Peter G.M. Mol are (part-time) employees of the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board. Any opinions, conclusions and proposals in the text are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Newspaper coverage. This figure shows the number of direct healthcare professional communications (DHPCs) published from 1 January, 2001 up to 1 January, 2016. Green bars indicate that drug safety issues addressed in DHPCs were covered in newspaper articles, dark orange bars indicate no coverage. b Social media coverage. This figure shows the number of DHPCs published between 1 January, 2010 and 1 January, 2016. Light orange bars indicate that the names of drugs for which DHPCs were published were covered in social media, dark orange bars indicate no coverage. Program used: Rstudio
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Newspaper articles before and after the direct healthcare professional communication (DHPC) was published. The x-axis represents the index dates of the DHPCs. On the y-axis shown in blue are the number of newspaper articles covering the drug safety issue after the DHPC has been published and in green the number of newspaper articles are shown that covered the drug safety issue before the DHPC was published. The dashed line indicates 20 newspaper articles. EE ethinylestradiol. Program used: Rstudio
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Social media postings before and after the direct healthcare professional communication (DHPC) was published. The x-axis represents the index dates of the DHPCs. On the y-axis shown in blue are the number of social media postings covering the drug mentioned in the DHPC in the 14 days after the DHPC has been published and in green the number of social media postings are shown that covered the drug mentioned in the DHPC in the 14 days before the DHPC was published. The numbers of postings of iron products before and after the DHPCs was published were beyond the maximal value of the y-axis (before 2393 and after 2332). EE ethinylestradiol. Program used: Rstudio
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