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Low Copay Generics Improve Medication-Use Over 20 Percent

Posted on: Monday, 27 November 2006, 15:01 CST

ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Patients are much more likely to continue drug therapy if their copays are low, according to two recent studies from Prime Therapeutics (Prime). The studies, involving cholesterol-lowering statins and antihypertensives, show that pharmacy benefit designs encouraging the use of low-cost generics can have a significant impact on keeping members on their medications. In turn, based on existing medical literature in these drug classes, improved medication compliance supports healthier outcomes and reduces overall health plan costs.

The two studies examined the relationship between medication use and pharmacy benefit design. Prime's studies found that decreased member costs were associated with a significant improvement in medication-use persistency, measured by prescription refills, over a six-month duration. The antihypertensive study found that pharmacy patients paying $10 prescription copays, for instance, remained on their medications 13 percent longer than those paying $25. Patients paying one-dollar copays, meanwhile, remained on their drugs 21 percent longer than those paying $25 and those with no-copays showed similar results. The results of the statin study demonstrated comparable findings.

"These are important findings for health plans, employer groups and their members," said Patrick Gleason, PharmD, Director of Medical and Pharmacy Integration Services for Prime. "These drugs can prevent patients from suffering more serious problems in the future, such as heart attacks and strokes. First and foremost, staying on maintenance medications help keep members healthy. Consequently, based on published medical literature, it should also reduce the number of high-cost claims due to serious complications resulting from not using medications or not using them properly."

Gleason indicates that Prime regularly works to provide information like this to its clients. Findings in both studies support Prime's recommendations for the use of three-tier benefit designs which encourage the use of generic medications at low-cost. "We provide solid clinical rationales for our recommendations so that our clients are able to make the most informed health care management decisions possible. These studies could have major cost implications for self-insured employer groups, in particular, who choose their plan design and pay full health care expenses," Gleason said.

The research focused on two key drug classes, cholesterol-lowering statins and antihypertensives (ACE/ARBs). These drug classes account for nearly 15 percent of all pharmacy expenditures. Both studies involved prediction models based on medical and pharmacy claims data from several employer groups within a large Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan. Prime presented the two studies at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) National Meeting on October 28, 2006. The studies' abstracts are published in the October issue of Pharmacotherapy, the official journal of the ACCP.

Prime Therapeutics LLC is a pharmacy benefit management company dedicated to providing innovative, clinically based, cost-effective pharmacy solutions for clients and members. Providing pharmacy benefit services nationwide to approximately 9 million covered lives, its client base includes Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, employer and union groups, and third-party administrators. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, Prime Therapeutics is collectively owned by Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, subsidiaries or affiliates of those Plans. Learn more at http://www.primetherapeutics.com/ .

Prime Therapeutics

CONTACT: Jenna Thompson, Prime Therapeutics, +1-651-846-8461, orjthompson@primetherapeutics.com

Web site: http://www.primetherapeutics.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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