I know the article is from 2010, but it's the first one that came up on my google search... there are more recent studies that show similar %'s, but this gives you the point.
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This past month researchers at Harvard Medical School published the largest study to date of what has been termed “primary nonadherence” and found that more than 20 percent of first-time patient prescriptions were never filled. Comparing the e-prescription data for over 75,000 patients with pharmacy insurance claims, the investigators also discovered that certain patterns of nonadherence exist. First-time prescriptions for chronic diseases like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes were more likely not to be filled, whereas those for pediatric patients 18 years of age and younger and for antibiotics were more likely to be filled.
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This past month researchers at Harvard Medical School published the largest study to date of what has been termed “primary nonadherence” and found that more than 20 percent of first-time patient prescriptions were never filled. Comparing the e-prescription data for over 75,000 patients with pharmacy insurance claims, the investigators also discovered that certain patterns of nonadherence exist. First-time prescriptions for chronic diseases like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes were more likely not to be filled, whereas those for pediatric patients 18 years of age and younger and for antibiotics were more likely to be filled.
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