The non-medical switching of prescription medications

AbstractNon-medical switching of medication, whereby a patient’s treatment regimen is changed for reasons other than efficacy, side effects, or adherence, is often related to drug formulary changes aimed at reducing drug costs. In the era of healthcare reform, while cost-cutting measures are important, there is considerable evidence that non-medical switching, particularly when applied to medication used to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes, may impact patient outcomes, medication-taking behavior, and use of health care services. Ultimately, overall costs may be increased, as savings by insurers are mitigated by higher costs to the healthcare system as a whole, such as extra administration, treatment failure from new medicines, and increased adverse events. The emergence of biosimilar and follow-on biologic treatments raises further questions among patients receiving biologic treatments, with patient advocacy groups calling for clear legislation to ensure that patients with complex or chronic cond...