High blood pressure patients prescribed medication using fixed-dose combination therapy are more likely to adhere to physicians' recommendations and avoid costly hospitalizations, according to a study led by a Gainesville-based UF Health researcher.
Lead author Kalyani Sonawane, PhD, analyzed the cost associated with various blood pressure prescription adjustment strategies. Dr. Sonawane and her research team evaluated commercial claims from BlueCross BlueShield of Texas between 2008 and 2012, analyzing the payer's annual costs for prescriptions and disease-related services for roughly 6,000 patients undergoing blood pressure medication adjustments.
The researchers found fixed-dose combination therapy, or combining two medications in a single pill, cost the health plan $310 annually on average. This cost compared to $135 for switching to a different drug, $63 for increasing dosage of a current drug and $61 for decreasing dosage.
Comparatively, inpatient costs for patients on fixed-dose combination therapy averaged $1,731, as opposed to $2,985 for patients decreasing dosage, $7,076 for patients switching to a new drug or $7,692 for patients increasing dosage.
"Even though the drug costs for fixed-dose combination appear to be extremely high, it is offset by savings in health services costs, saving almost seven times the cost in inpatient visits," Dr. Sonawane said.