Survey finds US mail order patients switch to generics

Two surveys by US pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts has found that patients who use a home delivery service are more likely to use a copy version of a prescription drug and to be more treatment compliant than those who visit a pharmacy.

The findings on prescription switching were based on research involving France-based drug major Sanofi-Aventis' insomnia agent Ambien (zolpidem), which was chosen for its popularity and the fact that it faces generic competition. Express Scripts sent letters to patients who were taking Ambien to inform them of the generic option. This produced a 34% greater response than among people who continued to use a retail pharmacy.

In the compliance study, the PBM estimated that the differential between home delivery and retail pharmacy customers was nearly eight percentage points, 78.6% versus 70.8%, respectively. Emily Cox, the study's author who heads Express Scripts' research unit, said: "understanding how to improve compliance is an important concern for all health care providers."