Many Medicare patients don't fill prescriptions for specialty drugs, study finds

Many Medicare beneficiaries who don't qualify for low-income subsidies aren't filling prescriptions for expensive specialty drugs used to treat serious health issues, a study published in Health Affairs found.

Researchers at Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center analyzed prescribing records and fill data for 17,076 prescriptions covering expensive medications used to treat cancer, hepatitis C, immune system disorders and high cholesterol. The prescriptions were issued to fee-for-service Medicare patients enrolled in Part D drug benefits and treated at 11 U.S. health systems between 2012 and 2018.