SDI study finds increasing authorized refills raises patient adherence

YARDLEY, Pa. Patients taking cholesterol-reducing drugs are more likely to adhere to their therapies if they receive four or more authorized refills per prescription, a new study has found.

The study, by market research firm SDI, analyzed 4,522 high prescribers, doctors who write at least 270 prescriptions a year for cholesterol drugs to determine the average number of authorized refills for each prescription over the course of a year. SDI analyzed anonymous patient data to understand the behavior of patients receiving different numbers of refills.

The study found that on average, patients who got four or more refills for each prescription filled more scripts than those who received fewer refills or required a new prescription to obtain medication, suggesting that physicians may be able to increase their patients’ adherence by giving them more refills.