Adheris, Inc., a leader in patient adherence and education programs, announced today the results of a new study that examined adherence rates among patients on SSRI/SNRI antidepressant therapy.
Study results showed that patients new to antidepressant treatment and those who had restarted therapy after a lapse of 6 or more months were twice as likely to discontinue therapy in the first 30 days of treatment versus patients previously dispensed an antidepressant. According to lead author Mark Vanelli, MD, MHS, a practicing psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School and Chief Medical Officer at Adheris, Inc., "The practical implications of this study are that while all patients lapsed at an alarming rate over time, increased patient follow-up and education within the first 30 days of therapy in newly treated and lapsed patients restarting therapy are critical to help improve adherence and patient outcomes."
The study also found that the greatest differences in the duration of antidepressant use were observed not among patients taking different antidepressants, but among patients taking the same antidepressant but who had different levels of prior antidepressant experience. Such data suggests that modifiable factors associated with patient knowledge, attitude, and practice-not the use of a specific medication-are the appropriate focus of efforts to improve the effectiveness of antidepressant use and treatment outcomes. For newly treated or lapsed patients, the median time to discontinuation was 67 day versus 187 days for patients who had previously been dispensed an antidepressant. Antidepressants commonly treat depressive disorders, which are the second leading cause of lost productive years of life in the world today. Antidepressant treatment for 180 days or more is typically recommended to treat depressive episodes and to prevent relapse.
The study, to be published in the September issue of Clinical Therapeutics, included over 211,000 patients taking SSRI/SNRIs from 1,157 retail pharmacies across the country.
Patients in the study received venlafaxine XR, sertraline, paroxetine CR, fluoxetine, escitalopram, or citalopram prescriptions between October 1, 2003 and March 31, 2004. Patients were followed over a year’s time. The study was funded by Adheris, Inc.
About Adheris, Inc
Generic viagra pills no prescription An InVentiv Health (NASDAQ: VTIV) company, Adheris Inc., provides direct-to-patient, pharmacy-based programs that provide valuable medication education and timely refill reminders. Adheris programs are HIPAA compliant and specifically support the physician’s treatment choice by underscoring information that can enhance patient health. The Adheris pharmacy network includes more than 20,000 pharmacies, accounting for over 45% of all retail prescriptions, including 22 of the top 25 pharmacy chains and numerous regional and independent pharmacies.
Adheris, Inc
generic viagra online buy | Buy cipro pills | Generic acomplia pills no prescription