FDAnews Drug Daily Bulletin

Empowering the Patient (DrugWonks Blog)
“While many on the East Coast are thinking about electrical power, a new global study by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics shows that the use of healthcare IT to increase medication adherence could be a key factor in saving some $500 billion in healthcare spending worldwide,” blogger Peter Pitts writes. Some suggestions include:

• Increase medicine adherence by addressing patient beliefs and behaviors;
• Optimize antibiotic use; and
• Use low-cost and safe generic drugs.

“The study also focuses on two key factors critical to driving improvement: multi-stakeholder engagement and the power of information,” Pitts writes. “Knowledge is power.”