WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Starting patients on a generic medication versus a brand-name drug can improve adherence and, in turn, their health outcomes, according to a new study by CVS Health and research partner Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
CVS said late Monday that the new research, published in the medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine, is the first to investigate whether starting on a generic instead of a branded drug for treating high cholesterol is related to better health outcomes.
The analysis found that patients taking a generic statin were more likely to stay on their medication than those starting on a brand-name drug. What’s more, patients starting with the generic had an 8% lower rate of the composite endpoint of cardiovascular events and death.
"We know that medication nonadherence is complex and very personal and that there are many reasons patients fail to adhere to therapy. Drug cost is one important factor," study senior author William Shrank, senior vice president and chief scientific officer at CVS Health, said in a statement. "This study provides clear evidence that the use of lower-cost generic medications, when appropriate, not only reduces cost for the patient and improves adherence, but also improves health and reduces mortality."
The researchers reviewed medical and pharmacy claims for over 90,000 Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older, with prescription drug coverage between 2006 and 2008. Among those patients, the mean co-payment for a generic statin was $10, compared with $48 for a branded statin. The main outcome measures of the study were adherence to statin therapy and health outcomes as determined by tracking hospitalizations for acute coronary syndromes or stroke and death.
"While statins are the most frequently prescribed drugs in the U.S. and have been shown to be effective in reducing cholesterol and cardiovascular-related deaths, they are only effective if patients take them," noted study lead author Joshua Gagne, assistant professor of medicine in the division of pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. "This study is the first to provide evidence that starting therapy with a generic statin versus a branded drug improved both medication adherence and clinical outcomes."
The analysis is part of a multiyear research collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital to better understand patient behavior, especially around medication adherence. CVS added that the CVS Health Research Institute is focused on contributing to the body of scientific knowledge related to pharmacy and health care through research collaborations with external academic institutions, participation in federally funded research, analysis and sharing of CVS Health data sources and coordination of pilot programs and initiatives.
