Margolis Center for Health Policy | FDA – Medication Adherence: Landscape, Strategies, and Evaluation Methods

Medication adherence—the extent to which patients take medications as prescribed in agreement with their health care provider—is an ongoing public health priority.^[1][2]Although the prevalence of medication non-adherence varies by disease and condition, increased adherence can improve health and reduce economic burden.^[3] Numerous strategies, including innovative tools and technologies, are used to assess and enhance medication, with variable success. This public meeting, convened under a cooperative agreement between the Robert J. Margolis, MD, Center for Health Policy at Duke University and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will explore the state of the science of clinical research evaluating medication adherence involving FDA-regulated products. Specific topics include:

• Current landscape of interventions intended to (a) track (monitor) medication adherence, (b) improve medication adherence, and (c) improve clinical outcome(s) due to increased medication adherence;
• Measurements of medication adherence; and
• Study designs to evaluate the effectiveness of FDA-regulated products intended to track and/or improve medication adherence, with or without an association to clinical outcomes.

Funding for this meeting was made possible in part by a grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsements.