The Impact of Social Proximity on Conversion to Generic Prescription Medications

National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

Status: Completed

Conditions: Conversion From Brand Name to Generic Medication

Treatments: Other: Social Proximity and Conversion to Generic Medications

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT01251419

P30AG034532 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

0002

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this project is to understand the effects of receiving peer information on individuals' conversion rates from brand name prescription medication to generic prescription medication.

Full description

At companies where employees are predominantly union members, we will compare the efficacy of a peer information intervention using a testimonial from a union identified employee to an intervention using a testimonial with no union identification, as well as to a no-testimonial intervention.

The control arm will receive a letter signed by our partner company's Chief Medical Officer, explaining the health and monetary benefits of switching from brand name prescription medication to generic prescription medication. The testimonial treatment arm will receive the exact same letter, but the letter will feature an employee's testimonial along with the first name, last initial, city and state of the employee giving the testimonial. The testimonial and union arm will receive the same letter as the testimonial treatment arm but with the addition of the union affiliation of the employee giving the testimonial.

Enrollment: 10,000 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Employee of a company that uses Express Scripts as its pharmacy benefits manager.
• Employee at a company with predominantly union employees.
• Currently taking a brand name medication with an exact generic equivalent.

Exclusion criteria

• Employees on any psychological prescription medication.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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10,000 participants in 3 patient groups

Testimonial and Union Arm

Experimental group

Description:

The testimonial and union arm will receive the same letter as the testimonial treatment arm but with the addition of the union affiliation of the employee giving the testimonial.

Treatment:

Other: Social Proximity and Conversion to Generic Medications

Control

Experimental group

Description:

The control arm will receive a letter signed by our partner company's Chief Medical Officer, explaining the health and monetary benefits of switching from brand name prescription medication to generic prescription medication.

Treatment:

Other: Social Proximity and Conversion to Generic Medications

Testimonial Treatment Arm

Experimental group

Description:

The testimonial treatment arm will receive the exact same letter as the control arm, but the letter will feature an employee's testimonial along with the first name, last initial, city and state of the employee giving the testimonial.

Treatment:

Other: Social Proximity and Conversion to Generic Medications