Niharika Mettu, MD
Medical Oncology · Durham, NCNPI 1447427737
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — consulting fees (47.8%), food and beverage and speaking fees — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 6 manufacturers reported payments, led by BD at 41.2% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2023 at $405 and has fallen 70.6% since, to $119 in 2025. That places this record below the midpoint for medical oncology clinicians in NC, where the typical reported total is $1,025.
Across 7 payments — averaging $107.49 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- BD$310
- Notal Vision, Inc.$144
- Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc$126
- Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.$95
- AstraZeneca$43
- Genentech, Inc.$35
Across 454 payments — averaging $8183.89 each. Payments tied to a research study. These frequently flow through the physician to a hospital or research institution rather than to the physician personally.
- Genentech, Inc.$970K
- Incyte Corporation$962K
- Merck$596K
- Amgen$485K
- Pfizer$303K
- AstraZeneca$253K
- plus $147K from 6 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$36048%
- Speaking & faculty fees$14419%
- Food & beverage$20527%
- Education$436%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| BD | 1 | $310 |
| Notal Vision, Inc. | 1 | $144 |
| Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc | 2 | $126 |
| Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $95 |
| AstraZeneca | 1 | $43 |
| Genentech, Inc. | 1 | $35 |
How this compares
$752 in reported general payments places this provider in the 45th percentile of 170 medical oncology providers in North Carolina.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CreonLipase/Protease/Amylase | 14 | $31,528 |
| EliquisApixaban | 21 | $15,208 |
| Ondansetron Hcl | 56 | $1,499 |
| Prochlorperazine Maleate | 45 | $1,116 |
| Dexamethasone | 36 | $618 |
| Olanzapine | 25 | $218 |
| Duloxetine Hcl | 27 | $212 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 17 | $189 |
| Pantoprazole Sodium | 22 | $179 |
| Gabapentin | 17 | $106 |
| Prednisone | 12 | $24 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other medical oncology in Durham
- Thomas LeblancDurham$1.7M
- Andrew ArmstrongDurham$377K
- John StricklerDurham$319K
- Neal ReadyDurham$309K
- Michael HarrisonDurham$161K
- Jeffrey ClarkeDurham$140K
- Sundhar RamalingamDurham$93K
- Arif KamalDurham$50K
- Nelson ChaoDurham$45K
- Laura AlderDurham$34K
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.