Stanford Study Finds Rx Drug Samples Lead Dermatologists To Prescribe Higher-Cost Medications

Researchers at Stanford University have published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Dermatology that finds dermatologists are more likely to prescribe higher-cost medications when they receive free samples to hand out to patients. The study compared the prescribing practices of dermatologists at medical centers that allow free samples with those that prohibit them. 

• "Free Samples of Prescription Drugs Are Costly to Patients, Study Says" (Kaplan, "Science Now," Los Angeles Times, 4/16).