It costs pharmaceutical companies 62 percent more to acquire a new patient than it does to keep an existing one.
Low adherence represents $177 billion in lost revenue per year (approximately a quarter of total annual pharmaceutical revenues).
Low adherence represents an average per drug loss of 36 percent in potential sales.
Twenty percent of prescriptions are never filled.
Half of all prescriptions fail to have the proper effect because of failure to take the drug or follow instructions.
Up to 50 percent of people with chronic ailments are non-compliant.
Only one-third of all patients actually take their medications as directed.
Only about eight percent of U.S. consumers are aware of their own non-compliance.
Typical non-adherent patients visit HCPs three additional times per year and have increased treatment costs of $2,000 per year over those following prescribing instructions.
As many as 10 percent of all hospital admissions and 23 percent of long-term elder care admissions in the United States are a consequence of failed patient adherence.
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Seems like the pharma companies could learn from the rewards programs that generate loyalty in other arenas of shopping. A free month or two of medication might help. It would also be useful to give out discounts on health-related products and services, like diet foods and gym memberships or fitness gadgets. And people would get healthier to boot.
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