Drug companies have flooded the market for years with free drug samples aimed at physicians and patients in an attempt to boost sales of their respective drugs. They also tout the notion that these samples are beneficial to those without adequate health care. A new study published in the medical journal Pediatrics looked at a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding consumer health care. The survey found that children in low income families were no more likely to receive free samples than those in high income families, partly due to inadequate access to doctors by lower income patients.

Children who did see a doctor and lacked sufficient health insurance were more likely to receive drug samples over adequately insured children; however, the kinds of “free” drugs being dispensed were of great concern. The study showed that four specific medications, which were later given serious safety warnings by the Food and Drug Administration, were given to over 500,000 children in 2004. Those drugs were Adderall, Strattera, Elidel and Advair.

Dr. Sarah L. Cutrona of Harvard Medical School, who spearheaded the study, said that free drug samples tend to be newer drugs on the market, so their safety profile is not always thoroughly examined and instructions regarding use for children are often unclear. Dr. Cutrona went on to say that there needed to be further investigation regarding the potential risks and benefits of these drug samples and possibly “stopping the use of free samples entirely, if there are such potential harms.”

Source: New York Times

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