Many pharmaceutical companies use free drug samples as a marketing tool. And, doctors may provide free samples as a way to encourage their patients to take their medications or to help them reduce their prescription costs. In a recent study published in Medical Care, a publication of the American Public Health Association, physicians at the University of Chicago reported that out-of-pocket prescription costs were actually increased when patients were given free pharmaceutical samples.

The physicians examined out-of-pocket expenditures per 180-day period for prescriptions among patients who received free medication samples. They found that the average out-of-pocket cost before sample receipt was $166. The average expenditure increased to $244 while the patients were receiving free samples, and it remained higher at $212 in the time period after sample receipt. The physicians found no evidence that these results were due to 'sample-induced demand,' where a patient given a free pharmaceutical sample is more likely to receive a prescription for the same medication rather than an equivalent generic drug that costs less.

What does this mean? Free samples don't necessarily save money in the long run, and doctors and their patients can use other strategies - such as using more generics, stopping non-essential medications, and prescribing 3-month supplies - to lower prescription costs.