Publications

It is commonly understood that the most expensive medicines are the ones that are not used. Not only does failure to take prescribed medication correctly – or at all - cost up to US$290 billion annually in the US alone, it can have a major detrimental effect on patient health contributing to an estimated 200,000 deaths in Europe every year. Therefore, improving patient adherence should not be a peripheral consideration when managing patient health but a core priority that needs greater attention.

This paper, produced by the CfBI Medical Adherence Consortium, sets out to understand why medicines adherence is difficult to achieve and the barriers that limit success and identifies where efforts should be concentrated to improve adherence. In particular, the need to address ‘value misalignment’ on low cost high volume medicines, where low prices dis-incentivise manufacturer funded adherence programmes, though the cost and impact of non-adherence to the payer is significant because of the high volume. The consortium concludes by making five recommendations to policy makers, payers, healthcare professionals and manufacturers to recognise adherence in the development of policies and new services, to discover new ways of funding adherence, and to use existing funding more effectively.

Download summary HERE.

Download full paper HERE.