Study: Free samples may increase patient drug costs

According to a new study, patients who receive free prescription samples "spent nearly 40% more for medication during the six months they received the samples, and nearly 20% more in the six months afterward, than those who didn't." (Source: "Free drug samples cost more in the long run," MSNBC, March 25, 2008.) "The study, published in the journal Medical Care, renews debate about the role of more than $18 billion in free pharmaceutical samples distributed each year, which drug industry representatives have described as a cost-saving safety net for the poor."