When Is Medicine Expensive?

Medicine Is Most Expensive When It's Not Taken At All

If you want to know the real value of medicines, some of the best evidence comes from studies of what happens when people don’t take them (medication non-adherence). Recent research highlights the importance of adherence – the extent to which patients stick to their course of therapy – for realizing that value.

Medication Compliance - Medication Adherence - Medicine Non-Adherence

Conventional wisdom holds that pharmaceutical treatments are a major cause of high health care costs, but the fact is, medicines account for only about 10 percent of health care spending, and they’re often the most cost-effective means of preventing and treating disease.

Making sure to take your medicine is good not just for individuals, but for the health care system as a whole.

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(Forbes Magazine)