Factors Associated With Manufacturer Drug Coupon Use at US Pharmacies

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Pharmaceutical Policy
• Retrospective Cohort Analysis

Background:

• Drug manufacturers utilize coupons to reduce patient out-of-pocket prescription drug costs.
• The strategic rationale behind offering coupons for specific drugs remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors associated with manufacturer drug coupon use.
• Examined patient-cost, drug, and drug-class characteristics influencing coupon availability and utilization.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of anonymized US retail pharmacy claims (October 2017-September 2019).
• Data supplemented with Medi-Span, Red Book, and FDA.gov information.
• Statistical analysis conducted from September 2020 to February 2021.

Main Results:

• Manufacturers offered coupons for 50.7% of 2501 unique brand-name drugs analyzed.
• Higher mean per-patient total cost within a drug class correlated positively with coupon likelihood (OR, 1.03).
• Later-in-class-entrant drugs and those with new competitors showed increased coupon use and intensity.

Conclusions:

• Mean per-patient total cost within a drug class, not patient copay, significantly predicted coupon use.
• Manufacturer coupons are strategically employed for higher-cost, later-entrant drugs facing intra-class competition and prevalent coupon use.