Adherence and Persistence to Acne Medications: A Population-Based Claims Database Analysis

Background: The chronicity of acne and its treatment with topicals contribute to poor treatment adherence and persistence. How well newly diagnosed acne patients use their treatment is not well characterized. Adherence refers to patients obtaining treatment and acting in accordance with a prescribed interval and dose; persistence is the duration of time patients continue on treatment. Objective:To assess adherence and persistence to acne medications in newly diagnosed acne patients. Methods: Truven Health MarketScan (R) Databases were utilized to assess United States claims data between 2008 to 2011 for newly diagnosed acne patients using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) 706.1 code. Results: Among 230,552 males and females age >= 12 who filled an index medication within 1 year of acne diagnosis, Medication Possession Ratio was >= 0.8 in 70.3 and persistence was 1.852 months. Limitations: Adherence of patients given multiple products may be even worse than for patients given a single medication. Conclusions: While Medication Possession Ratio, was high, persistence to initial acne medication was poor. Though patients may have their medications, they are not necessarily using them. Enhancing patients' use of their treatment may be critical to improving patients' long-term treatment outcomes.