Cost of Skin Creams and Ointments May Depend on Who Gives Prescription

(Reuters Health) - Patients who want to pay less for prescription skin creams and ointments for inflammatory diseases like psoriasis may want to consider seeing their primary care doctor instead of a specialist, a U.S. study suggests.

That's because dermatologists and other specialists are three times more likely than primary care providers to prescribe brand name versions of drugs known as topical immunomodulators, which includes treatments such as corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors and vitamin D analogs, the study found....