Prescription abandonment--when a patient submits a retail prescription to a pharmacy but never picks it up--has increased from an average of 5.15 percent in 2006 to 6.8 percent in 2008, a 34 percent increase, according to an annual analysis of the U.S. pharmaceuticals market by Wolters Kluwer Health.
The study also found that abandonment increased as the amount of patient copay increased, especially for new prescriptions. New prescriptions with a copay of $100 or more carried an abandonment rate of just over 20 percent, for example, while those with copays of $10 or under had only a 4 percent abandonment rate.
"Price sensitivity is clearly a factor as consumers decide to forego certain prescriptions altogether, including some for chronic conditions," said Mark Spiers, president & CEO, Wolters Kluwer Health, Pharma Solutions. "This disturbing trend may have serious health implications and seems poised to continue, especially if the economy deteriorates further."
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