Access to Evidence-Based Statins in Low-Cost Generic Drug Programs.

Abstract

In light of ongoing economic concerns and high costs of prescription medications, patients continue to be at risk of becoming noncompliant with their medication regimens because of cost constraints.1 The launch of low-cost generic drug programs (sometimes called $4 generic drug formularies) by major chain drugstore corporations would be expected to increase availability of prescription drugs to patients by reducing prescription costs.2 Compared with typically high prescription copays, low-cost generic drug plans make many medications more affordable and accessible to patients.3 It is uncertain whether low-cost generic drug programs also provide access to medications that promote evidence-based prescribing. Our study aimed to evaluate whether evidence-based statins are provided within the most common low-cost generic drug formularies. We chose statins because of their extensive evidence base for improving clinical outcomes, their prevalent use as top-selling medications in the United States, and the potential impact of low-cost generic drug formulary statin choices on a large patient population. To conduct this study, we selected low-cost generic programs provided by regional or national chain pharmacy corporations in the United States based on prescription sales volumes listed at National Pharmacy Market Summary, Chain Drug Review, and Drugstorenews.com. We excluded franchise pharmacies of mother companies (eg, Medicine Shoppe pharmacies), which are each independently owned and operated, and pharmacies with limited free-medication programs (eg, Publix pharmacies). The most current formulary coverage information for all statins, including drug, dose, cost, and supply, was extracted from July 1, 2014 to July 31, 2014, then …