The arrival of non-vitamin K antag­onist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) on the Australian market triggered a massive spend on doctors’ education by drug manufacturers, researchers say.

The agents consumed more than a quarter of individual companies’ educational event funding between 2011 and 2015, data shows.

Dabigatran (Pradaxa) manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim spent more than $3 million on NOAC-related events, 38% of its total spending on doctor events.

NOAC events for rivaroxaban (Xarelto) took up 24% of Bayer’s event budget and Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer, which jointly market apixaban (Eliquis), dedicated 29% and 8% of their respective budgets.