The Impact Of Patient Compliance On Pharma Manufacturers

By Cindy Dubin

Research shows that half of all patients in the United States and the European Union do not take their medicines as prescribed. Poor patient compliance, or medication adherence can lead to worsening of disease, serious and avoidable health risks, increased hospitalization, and even death. In fact, patient non-compliance is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, and the annual cost of non-compliance in the U.S. is estimated to be $317 billion and $125 billion in the EU, according to research group MarketWatch.