Patients on generic statins have better outcomes versus those taking brand-name drugs

Do you think the following is important? I suspect most people do. Affording and actually taking your medication is very important and studies have shown that all too many patients do not take medication as it was prescribed.

However, I find it painfully ironic that we fight tooth and nail over coverage for “free” contraceptives for women under the guise it is health care and we hear nothing about the cost to patients of life saving, quality of life medication. Americans are victims of their own political correctness (in many ways). For the record, the key word here is “free” not coverage.

Patients on generic statins have better adherence to their medication and better clinical outcomes than those taking brand-name prescriptions, according to a study being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Statins are the most frequently prescribed drugs in the United States. When taken as prescribed, statins effectively reduce LDL cholesterol levels and cardiovascular events.

However, some patients do not adhere to their medication regimen. Researchers studied health records for a cohort of more than 90,000 Medicare beneficiaries to determine whether patients are more adherent to generic statins versus brand-name statins and whether greater adherence improves health outcomes.

The research showed that, compared with those who initiated a brand-name statin, patients who initiated a generic statin had better adherence to their medication and an 8 percent lower rate of a composite endpoint that included cardiovascular events and death. The researchers conclude that lower out-of-pocket costs for patients improved adherence to therapy and improved clinical outcomes.

The summary for patients is free at http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/P14-9033.