Money Talks and Affects Prescription Adherence

A US study discovered one reason why patients on cholesterol-loweringdrugs fail to fill prescriptions or cease taking the medication?copays. The researchers found that half of the participants intheir study did not stick to the prescribed regimen, and half of thefirst-time users stopped the medications within 4 years.

The patients whose insurance copay was >$20 a month fortheir medication supply were 3 times more apt to fall behind onthe prescription and 4 times more apt to stop taking it altogether,compared with patients whose copay was <$10. Also, the lowrate of adherence was almost equal for both individuals with justhigh cholesterol and those who required statins as result of aheart attack or coronary surgery.