Ending the practice of free prescription drug handouts

This year I have blogged often about the need for pharmacy and medical device companies to stop using inappropriate financial deals to help market their products and as an avenue to build relationships with physicians. However, it is also incumbent on doctors, hospitals and health systems to create an ethical environment as well.  

I was very pleased to see Aurora Health Care join a growing number of providers and medical schools that no longer allow the dispensing of free drug samples. While the practice may seem harmless, research suggests it often leads to unnecessary high drug prices and often inappropriate drug choices.

A recent article cites a 2008 study. The study, by University of Chicago researchers, found that patients who received free samples ended up spending significantly more out of pocket than those who did not. Patients who received free prescription samples spent almost 40 percent more for medication during the six months in which they received samples and nearly 20 percent in the six months afterward.

Providing free drug samples can improperly influence patients, even if that is not the original intention.  As one healthcare expert explains, it can systematically drive care toward more expensive, new medicine. As we know, that is not always best for patients.

My hope is that this practice soon comes to an end in our country.

Ed Howe blogs regularly at Action for Better Healthcare.