Neal Mermelstein
General Practice · Philadelphia, PANPI 1285676171
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 99.9% of the total across 216 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. It is spread thinly across 29 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 17.9% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Reporting peaked in 2020 at $1,481 and has fallen 81.7% since, to $271 in 2023. Among general practice clinicians in PA with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 5% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 216 payments — averaging $22.02 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Amarin Pharma, Inc.$851
- AbbVie$736
- Novo Nordisk$569
- E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.$488
- Amgen$310
- Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.$236
- plus $2K from 23 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$4,750100%
- Education$60%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 37 | $851 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 40 | $736 |
| Novo Nordisk | 30 | $569 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 7 | $488 |
| Amgen | 6 | $310 |
| Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 8 | $236 |
| AstraZeneca | 9 | $234 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 11 | $158 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 5 | $150 |
| Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. | 7 | $135 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 6 | $99 |
| Bausch Health US, LLC | 6 | $93 |
| Pfizer | 5 | $84 |
| Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc | 6 | $77 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 4 | $74 |
| Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. | 4 | $72 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 3 | $58 |
| Gilead | 4 | $58 |
| Novartis | 3 | $55 |
| GSK | 3 | $47 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 3 | $42 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 2 | $25 |
| Althera Pharmaceuticals LLC | 1 | $19 |
| Indivior Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| UCB, Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
| Merck | 1 | $12 |
| Seqirus USA Inc | 1 | $11 |
What the payments were tied to
Products named in the reported payments. Only payments of $100 or more are attributed here — the typical reported payment nationally is a meal worth about $16, and listing those product-by-product would be noise.
How this compares
$4,756 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 3,208 general practice providers in Pennsylvania.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| EliquisApixaban | 143 | $68,128 |
| JulucaDolutegravir/Rilpivirine | 12 | $44,551 |
| Nurtec OdtRimegepant Sulfate | 16 | $16,582 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 41 | $12,781 |
| Trelegy ElliptaFluticasone/Umeclidin/Vilanter | 18 | $12,528 |
| Combivent RespimatIpratropium/Albuterol Sulfate | 17 | $8,857 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 16 | $7,640 |
| GemtesaVibegron | 26 | $6,364 |
| Sevelamer Carbonate | 18 | $5,512 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 305 | $4,526 |
| Memantine Hcl | 63 | $4,463 |
| Duloxetine Hcl | 34 | $3,297 |
| Trazodone Hcl | 148 | $2,330 |
| AlogliptinAlogliptin Benzoate | 25 | $2,270 |
| VascepaIcosapent Ethyl | 12 | $2,268 |
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, Nurtec Odt | $84 | $84,711159 claims |
| MerckJanuvia | $12 | $12,78141 claims |
| GSKTrelegy Ellipta | $47 | $12,52818 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimCombivent Respimat | $150 | $8,85717 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $74 | $7,64016 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 95th percentile of 3,208 general practice providers in Pennsylvania.
Other general practice in Philadelphia
- Corey AnolikPhiladelphia$2.1M
- Alan AtlasPhiladelphia$486K
- Marc ManosPhiladelphia$85K
- Joseph PreziosiPhiladelphia$18K
- Mark WolffPhiladelphia$13K
- Jordan BowerPhiladelphia$13K
- Leonard TauPhiladelphia$12K
- Stephen WilfredPhiladelphia$6K
- Jeffrey GazzaraPhiladelphia$6K
- Richard NagelbergPlymouth Meeting$1.4M
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.