High out-of-pocket costs can make lifesaving medications out of reach for millions of Americans with Cardiovascular Disease
November 26, 2019
Dallas, TX – One in 8 adults with common heart diseases and stroke skip taking medications, delay filling prescriptions or take lower doses than prescribed because of concerns about cost, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.
“The out-of-pocket cost of medications is a huge issue for millions of high-risk patients with cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, stroke, angina and other conditions,” Khurram Nasir, M.D., M.P.H., M.Sc., senior author of the study, chief of the division of cardiovascular prevention and wellness and co-director of the Center for Outcomes Research at Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center in Texas.
Not taking medications as prescribed because of cost is 3 times more common in people under 65 years of age than in older people covered by Medicare. (American Heart Association)
AAA says Taking Multiple Medications Can Increase Crash Risk for Older Drivers
December 2, 2018
AAA
Washington, D.C. – Nearly 50 percent of older adults report using seven or more medications while remaining active drivers, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
An evaluation of the medications people are taking found that nearly 20 percent of older drivers are using medications that generally should be avoided because they have very limited therapeutic benefit, pose excess harm, or both. Drugs like these are called potentially inappropriate medications, or PIMs1.
Key Drug Warnings Falling Through the Cracks
July 17, 2011
No Federal Monitoring of Drug Labels; What Consumers Can Do to Stay Safe
Yonkers, NY – It’s comparable to driving a car without a seatbelt—a new investigation from Consumer Reports Health finds that drug labels sometimes lack key safety warnings and some pharmacies fail to include the medication guides required by the federal government.
For its investigative “spot check,” Consumer Reports Health sent staffers to five individual drugstores in Yonkers, NY: Costco, CVS, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart, to fill prescriptions for warfarin. Warfarin (Coumadin and generics) is a blood thinner used to prevent strokes and one of the 20 most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S., according to IMS Health. [Read more]
