- IQVIA (IQV -5.1%) slips on almost a 5x surge in volume in apparent response to an announcement by the FDA that has identified errors in the former's National Sales Perspectives database related to certain opioids, a source it uses to track the number of prescriptions written in the U.S.
- The data discrepancy showed more than a 20% drop in the amount of kilograms of fentanyl sold over at least the past five years compared to what IQVIA had previously reported, now believed to be an overestimation due to its use of the wrong weight-based conversion factors to determine the amount of fentanyl in a given unit (such as a fentanyl patch) for a subset of fentanyl products. IQVIA has since corrected the errors.
- The agency also identified data quality issues related to other controlled substances with similar weight-based conversion factors, including oxymorphone and hydrocodone. It says these additional errors "raise serious concerns about systematic issues with IQVIA's data and quality control procedures."
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