According to researchers from the University of Pittsburg, the use of $4 generic drug programs could save Americans billions of dollars annually. After looking at data from 2007 of a nationally representative sample of 31,000 patients, the researchers found that had all patients used (when possible) discounted generic drugs available for $4 per monthly supply at many U.S. retail stores, the total societal savings would have been $5.8 billion dollars in that one year. The researchers point out that although individual savings may be meager (about 50% of patients would save more than $22 years in out-of-pocket costs annually), the collective societal savings are immense. "We are not promoting any specific pharmacy or any retail store's discount generic medication program," said lead author Dr. Yuting Zhang. "However, if policy makers and clinicians direct patients to low-cost generic programs, patients and taxpayers could save tremendously." This is the first study to look at the potential national savings from a broad use of discounted generic medications. [via Medical News Today]
Thanks to Kosmix Corporation / RightHealth
No comments:
Post a Comment