P&G study: No correlation between adherence, number of pills

P&G study: No correlation between adherence, number of pills

A new Procter & Gamble-sponsored study shows that the number of pills a patient has to take does not affect how well the patient adheres to the medication. Although persistence for once-daily drugs ranged from 17% to 59%, the study found no noticeable difference in persistence among drugs that are meant to be taken daily, twice daily, and three times daily. According to P&G, the study suggests that the reasons behind non-adherence are often varied and can be patient specific. The study examined more than 19,000 health service reimbursement records and specifically analyzed patients taking calcium channel blockers with copays of at least $20. Although the P&G study found no variance in adherence among patients who are required to take medications with at least daily frequency, a Roche study last year showed improved adherence with a monthly, rather than weekly, dosing regimen (ePharm5, 7/21/06).