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Investigating the ability to adhere to cardiometabolic medications with different properties: a retrospective cohort study of >500 000 patients in the USA

Objective Poor medication adherence remains highly prevalent and adversely affects health outcomes. Patients frequently describe properties of the pills themselves, like size and shape, as barriers, but this has not been evaluated objectively. We sought to determine the extent to which oral medication properties thought to be influential translate into lower objectively-measured adherence. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting US nationwide commercial claims database, 2016–2019. Participants Among patients initiating first-line hypertension, diabetes or hyperlipidaemia treatment based on clinical guidelines, we measured pill size, shape, colour and flavouring, number of pills/day and fixed-dose combination status as properties. Outcome measures Outcomes included discontinuation after the first fill (ie, never filling again over a minimum of 1-year ...

BMJ     Nov 14, 2023