Cost saving-related Rx nonadherence found for 7 percent with HIV

Seven percent of persons with HIV infection report cost saving-related nonadherence to prescription medication, according to research published in the Dec. 13 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Linda Beer, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed cross-sectional, nationally representative surveillance data on behaviors, medical care, and clinical outcomes among adults with HIV infection.

The researchers found that 14 and 7 percent of persons with HIV infection used a prescription drug cost-saving strategy for any prescribed medication and had cost saving-related nonadherence during 2016 to 2017. A correlation was observed for nonadherence due to prescription drug costs with reporting an unmet need for medications from the Ryan White AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), not having Medicaid coverage, and having private insurance. Persons who were nonadherent due to cost concerns had a higher likelihood of having visited an emergency department, having been hospitalized, and not being virally suppressed.

"The prevalence of nonadherence due to prescription drug costs among persons with HIV infection was similar to that among the overall U.S. population and was associated with poorer clinical outcomes, including reduced viral suppression rates and suboptimal medical care utilization," the authors write. "Removing barriers to ADAP and Medicaid coverage, in addition to reducing medication costs for persons with private insurance, could help to decrease nonadherence related to cost concerns."

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