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Medicare Drug Beneficiaries and Cost-Lowering Strategies
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
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To the Editor: In their study of the consequences of exceeding a drug benefit cap, Dr Tseng and colleagues1 found that some patients with chronic diseases discontinued prescribed medications for financial reasons. The authors concluded that clinicians, insurers, and the public need to consider strategies to maximize benefit from Medicare drug coverage plans and mentioned reimportation of prescription drugs as a possibility. However, alternatives exist that may help reduce drug expenses.
In Denmark, generic substitution was initiated in 1993 for  -blockers; if a doctor indicated on the prescription that substitution was acceptable, the pharmacy could switch to an equivalent drug if it was cheaper. In 1997 the procedure was changed so that as long as the doctor did not prohibit substitution, the pharmacy could take the initiative and make the substitution. In 2001 the procedure was further amended to include all forms of drug administration so that, for example, tablets . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Nina H. Bjarnason, MD, MFPM
nina.bjarnason@rh.dk
Jens P. Kampmann, MD, PhD
Institute for Rational Pharmacotherapy
Danish Medicines Agency
Copenhagen, Denmark
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