Suchergebnisse

To increase access, availability, and affordability, large retail pharmacies have initiated $4.00 monthly programs for generic medications. We conducted this pilot survey to determine the demographics and purchasing patterns of patients utilizing the $4.00 program at a community retail pharmacy setting in the United States. We conducted a pilot survey, with 20 questions, in North Texas at a large retail chain grocery store pharmacy. We collected data regarding demographics, medications purchased, and cost to the customer and then analyzed these data using descriptive statistics. Of the 60 pharmacy customers we approached, 54 (90 percent) consented to take the survey. Among the participants, 88 percent had some form of health insurance coverage, with the majority carrying either private insurance (63 percent) or Medicare (19 percent). Of the 27 individuals participating in the $4.00 program, 23 had some form of health insurance. Heart health/blood pressure medications were the most commonly purchased (31 percent), followed by cholesterol‐reducing medications (13 percent). This pilot survey illustrates that a majority of the individuals surveyed were aware of the program. However, only 50 percent of the study participants used the program, with 88 percent having some form of health insurance coverage.

AbstractThis paper explores some of the concerns associated with the new group of oral anti‐cancer agents from the standpoint of availability, direct costs to the patient, and pricing strategies. We sought to evaluate the availability in the United States and the United Kingdom based on approval times. We then consulted select insurance companies' websites for 2011, the online Medicare Part D donut‐hole calculator, and the Cancer U.K. website for cost information. Nine oral targeted agents are approved both in the United States and United Kingdom. The date of approval was earlier in the United States compared to the United Kingdom for every medication, and Medicare patients have the highest out‐of‐pocket payments. Oral oncology products are available earlier in United States than in United Kingdom. Potential high out‐of‐pocket liability for Medicare patients is a greater obstacle to access than is the case for U.S. commercial insurance or National Health System (NHS) patients in the United Kingdom.

Pharmaceutical patient assistance programs (PAPs) have the potential to improve prescription drug accessibility for eligible patients, but currently there is limited information regarding their effectiveness. In an attempt to provide a systematic description of primary studies on PAPs, we reviewed 33 unique studies from commercial and grey literature (e.g., government publications, conference abstracts) sources: 15 health care outcome evaluations, seven economic evaluations, seven surveys and four miscellaneous studies. Enrollment assistance for PAPs with additional medication services (e.g., counseling) was significantly associated with improved glycemic (standardized mean difference = −0.40, 95% CI = −0.59,−0.20; k=3 one-group, pre-post-test; 1 comparison-group) and lipid (standardized mean difference = −0.52, 95% CI = 0.78,−0.27; k=3 one-group, pre-post-test; 1 comparison group) control. Inadequately designed economic evaluations suggest free PAP medications offset health care institutions' costs for uncompensated medications and enrollment assistance programs. More rigorous research is needed to establish the clinical and cost-effectiveness of PAPs from a patient and health care institution perspective.