Drugs & Clinical Trials | By January 10, 2009 | By Jennifer Gibson, PharmD | 0 Comments

Safety Concerns with Prescription Drug Samples

Drug manufacturers widely use prescription drug samples as a marketing tool. In 2004, drug samples accounted for approximately half of the pharmaceutical industry’s marketing budget, or $16 billion. An advantage, touted by pharmaceutical companies and some physicians, is that these samples are made available to low-income and uninsured patients, providing them with otherwise unaffordable medications. There is new evidence, however, that, not only do the samples not reduce drug costs and not go to the most disadvantaged patients, but there are also significant safety concerns with some drug samples. Read more →