US Pharm. 2010;35(2):8.
Los Angeles, CA — New research published in the online edition of the American Journal of Managed Care suggests that mail-order use to obtain medications could improve patients’ adherence. Researchers from the University of California–Los Angeles and Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in Oakland, California, found that patients with diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol who used mail-order pharmacies were more likely to take their prescriptions as directed than those who obtained medications from a local pharmacy. The 12-month study analyzed medication refill data from 2006 and 2007 for 13,922 Kaiser Permanente members in northern California. Eighty-five percent of patients who received their medications by mail stuck to their physician-prescribed regimen, compared with 77% of those who picked up their medications at traditional pharmacies. This is the first study to focus on the relationship between pharmacy type and adherence instead of cost.
