The Effect of Free Distribution of Essential Medicines on Adherence by Income Sources and Level

Introduction: Public policies aimed at improving medicine adherence are restricted to people with a low income or to social assistance recipients. Objective: To determine whether the free provision of essential medicines has a different effect on adherence for people with different income levels and sources. Methods: In this post-hoc subgroup analysis of results from the CLEAN Meds randomized control trial, binary logistic regression was used as the primary analysis to determine whether free medication provision has different effects at different income levels and sources. Results: Despite the evidence to suggest that the RCT intervention has a significant effect on adherence (p=0.02), there was no substantial difference in the effect of free medicine distribution for people with different income levels or sources (p=0.73). Conclusion: The results of this study do not support the idea that programs aimed at improving access to medicines mostly improve adherence for those of certain income groups.M.Sc