TABLE 1.
Overview of Study Population, Design, and Financial Medication Assistance
| Author year (journal) | Study population condition | Country, setting, sample size | Study design (data source) | Demographics | Description of financial medication assistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARDIOVASCULAR: Program/pharmacy service | |||||
| Marrs 200819 (Pharmacotherapy) | Dyslipidemia, treated with statins | US, Singlesite academic medical center (University of Colorado Hospital) N = 240 | Retrospective chart review with comparison group (Prescription data from medical center) | Mean age 62 43% Male |
Colorado Indigent Care Program (federal- and state-funded) that scales drug copayment fees between $0-$35 based on income, and involves a specialist who helps patients apply for a PAP |
| Schoen 201120 (Pharmacotherapy) | Heart disease (HTN, hyperlipidemia, CAD, MI, CABG, HF, arrhythmia, valvular heart disease, other comorbid disease) | US, Single-site, academic innercity outpatient clinic (University of Illinois at Chicago) N = 163 | Prospective cohort study with historical control as comparison (Physician referral documents, patient self-report data) | Mean age 61 54% Male 59% African American 24% Hispanic 13% White 4% Other |
Pharmacy service that helps patients seek financial medication assistance, including PAPs, state aid, and samples |
| CARDIOVASCULAR: Discount card | |||||
| Knott 201521 (Health Policy) | CVD, prescribed statins | Australia, Nationwide (patients of providers involved in nationally representative survey) N = 1,260 | Retrospective cohort study with comparison group (Prescription claims data from Medicare Australia) | Mean age 68 50% Male |
Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme concession card for discounted out-ofpocket costs for prescription medications |
| CARDIOVASCULAR: Manufacturer coupon | |||||
| Daugherty 201322 (JMCP) | Incident users of branded statin agents (atorvastatin or rosuvastatin) and generic statin therapy (lovastatin, pravastatin, or simvastatin) | US, Nationwide (represents 40% of retail prescriptions for treatment of dyslipidemia) N = 340,350 | Retrospective cohort study with comparison groups (Retail prescription claims data from Symphony Healthcare Solutions, which identifies cash claims, primary and secondary insurance coverage, prescription expenditures, and coupon use) | Mean age 54 45% Male |
Manufacturer coupon for brand-name statin (atorvastatin and rosuvastatin) |
| Daubresse 201723 (Pharmacotherapy) | Incident statin users, within a broader cohort of opioid users | US, 11 states N = 1,050,915 | Retrospective cohort study with comparison groups (Retail prescription claims data from IMS Health consisting of prescriptions from retail, food store, independent, and mass merchandiser pharmacies) | Mean age & Male %:
|
Manufacturer coupon for brand-name statin (atorvastatin and rosuvastatin) |
| CARDIOVASCULAR: Voucher | |||||
| Wang 201924 (JAMA) | Acute myocardial infarction, discharged taking a P2Y12 inhibitor | US, Multi-site (301 hospitals) N = 10,102 | Cluster randomized clinical trial (Primary measure of persistence from self-report data; secondary measure of persistence from prescription claims data from Symphony Health) | Median age 62 69% Male 96% White 11% African American 2% Asian 1% American Indian or Alaskan Native 1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander |
Vouchers that waived copays of P2Y12 inhibitors for 1 year to fill either a generic (clopidogrel) or brand-name (tigacrelor) |
| Fanaroff 202025 (JAMA Cardiology) | Acute myocardial infarction, discharged taking a P2Y12 inhibitor | US, Multi-site N = 8,373 | Post-hoc analysis of cluster randomized clinical trial (Prescription claims data from Symphony Health) | Mean age 62 68% Male 12% Nonwhite |
Vouchers that waived copays of P2Y12 inhibitors for 1 year to fill either a generic (clopidogrel) or brand-name (tigacrelor) |
| CANCER: Manufacturer copay card, discount card, or voucher | |||||
| Seetasith 201926 (Journal of Medical Economics) | ALK-positive NSCLC, treated with ALK inhibitors | US, Nationwide (represents 63% and 52% of prescriptions dispensed from retail and specialty pharmacies, respectively) N = 3,143 | Retrospective cohort study with comparison group (Prescription claims data from IQVIA Formulary Impact Analyzer database) | Mean age 61 48% Male |
Copay assistance: manufacturer copay cards, discount cards, or free-trial vouchers |
ALKi = anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor; CABG = coronary artery bypass graft; CAD = coronary artery disease; CI = confidence interval; CVD = cardiovascular disease; HF = heart failure, HTN = hypertension; JAMA = Journal of the American Medical Association; JMCP = Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy; MI = myocardial infarction; NSCLC = non-small cell lung cancer; PAP = (manufacturer-sponsored) patient assistance program.