Durga Mekala, MD
Geriatric Medicine · Arlington, TXNPI 1235340290
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 92 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 26 manufacturers reported payments, led by Novo Nordisk at 26.1% of the total.
Across 92 payments — averaging $19.09 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Novo Nordisk$459
- Amgen$181
- Lilly USA, LLC$178
- AbbVie$128
- Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.$76
- Johnson & Johnson$73
- plus $661 from 20 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$1,757100%
Most of this is food and beverage — typically meals provided during product presentations at a clinic or hospital. Nationally that is the single largest category of reported payments by count.
General payments by program year
Who reported the general payments
Companies are grouped under their corporate parent — a single manufacturer often files under several CMS reporting entities. Research and ownership payments are counted separately and are not in this table.
| Company | Payments | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Novo Nordisk | 23 | $459 |
| Amgen | 9 | $181 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 8 | $178 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 8 | $128 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 4 | $76 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 5 | $73 |
| Pfizer | 3 | $63 |
| Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | 3 | $58 |
| Idorsia Pharmaceuticals US Inc | 3 | $54 |
| GSK | 3 | $49 |
| Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 3 | $47 |
| Novartis | 2 | $42 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 1 | $40 |
| Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc. | 2 | $39 |
| Biogen | 2 | $37 |
| Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc | 2 | $35 |
| Merck | 2 | $33 |
| Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. | 1 | $23 |
| Covidien LP | 1 | $20 |
| Dexcom, Inc. | 1 | $19 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 1 | $19 |
| AstraZeneca | 1 | $19 |
| Abbott | 1 | $18 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $18 |
| Bayer | 1 | $16 |
| Smith+Nephew | 1 | $13 |
How this compares
$1,757 in reported general payments places this provider in the 85th percentile of 275 geriatric medicine providers in Texas.
Medicare billing
What this is not: this is the amount Original Medicare Part B allowed for services this provider billed in 2024. It is not their income. It excludes Medicare Advantage — now more than half of all Medicare enrollment — along with Medicaid and all commercial insurance, and it is gross practice revenue before staff, rent, supplies and malpractice premiums. CMS also suppresses any figure covering ten or fewer patients, so low-volume providers appear smaller than they are.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| EliquisApixaban | 146 | $86,582 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 25 | $49,447 |
| LinzessLinaclotide | 39 | $34,009 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 48 | $33,263 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 30 | $23,079 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 34 | $19,002 |
| CreonLipase/Protease/Amylase | 12 | $18,301 |
| MyrbetriqMirabegron | 14 | $17,768 |
| BrilintaTicagrelor | 13 | $10,915 |
| Basaglar Kwikpen U-100Insulin Glargine,hum.Rec.Anlog | 19 | $6,674 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 389 | $4,772 |
| SymbicortBudesonide/Formoterol Fumarate | 13 | $4,429 |
| Divalproex Sodium | 75 | $4,238 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | 376 | $3,157 |
| Megestrol Acetate | 26 | $2,791 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Companies that both paid and supply prescribed drugs
These companies both reported payments to this provider and make drugs the provider prescribed under Medicare Part D in 2024. For most specialties this overlap is expected — a cardiologist who is paid by a cardiology drugmaker also treats heart disease. It is shown so the reader can see it, not because it implies anything on its own.
| Company | Paid to this provider | Part D cost of their drugs |
|---|---|---|
| PfizerEliquis | $63 | $86,582146 claims |
| AbbVieLinzess, Creon | $128 | $52,31051 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $459 | $49,44725 claims |
| MerckJanuvia | $33 | $33,26348 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $73 | $23,07930 claims |
| Astellas Pharma US IncMyrbetriq | $19 | $17,76814 claims |
| AstraZenecaBrilinta, Symbicort | $19 | $15,34426 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCHumalog Mix 75-25 | $178 | $1,96919 claims |
Reading this fairly. The Part D column is what drug plans and patients paid pharmacies — this provider received none of it, and it reflects how many patients they treat and what those drugs cost. Against peers, this provider's reported payments sit in the 85th percentile of 275 geriatric medicine providers in Texas.
Other geriatric medicine in Arlington
- Mauricio Gonzalez-AriasAustin$825K
- Eberenne IgbokwePearland$124K
- Diana KerwinDallas$81K
- David SmithBrownwood$19K
- Alejandro ArizmendiHelotes$15K
- Rosa VizcarraSan Antonio$9K
- George TaffetHouston$9K
- John CarrollCorpus Christi$8K
- Santos SoberonBeaumont$7K
- Sunitha AlexanderThe Woodlands$6K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Billing: Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners, data year 2024. Original Medicare Part B only.
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.