Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital discovered that variations in the color of a pill impacts the medical adherence of patients who are prescribed generic pills and are more than 50 percent more likely to stop taking the pill, which may lead to severe clinical effects, according to Medical Xpress.
Most of the prescriptions dispatched include generic medications. Alternate medications are clinically bioequivalent to the brand, but they tend to be different in their physical appearances. This study links the medical adherence to a pills' physical appearance.
"Pill appearance has long been suspected to be linked to medication adherence, yet this is the first empirical analysis that we know of that directly links pills' physical characteristics to patients' adherence behavior," said Aaron S. Kesselheim MD, JD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics at BWH, and principal investigator of this study, according to Medical Xpress. "We found that changes in pill color significantly increase the odds that patients will stop taking their drugs as prescribed."
A case-control study was conducted that includes patients taking antiepileptic drugs and compared with the patients who did not refill their prescription and had been given pills that differed in color or shape since the previous medication. As a result, researchers found a discontinuation in the patient's use of drug and when they looked at the previous prescription fillings, there was a difference in their physical appearance. Discontinuation in consumption of antiepileptic drugs can lead to severe consequences.
Kesselheim noted the importance of educating patients about the possible change in the color and shape of medication.
"Patients should be aware that their pills may change color and shape, but that even differently-appearing generic drugs are approved by the FDA as being bioequivalent to their brand-name counterparts and are safe to take," he said. "Physicians should be aware that changes in pill appearance might explain their patients' non-adherence. Finally, pharmacists should make a point to tell patients about the change in color and shape when they change generic suppliers."
The study findings are published online in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
