About Drug Vouchers

Physicians normally get samples through sales representatives from pharmaceutical companies based on their specialty and prescribing habit. The practice location also determines what type of samples they receive. For example, office-based physicians get more pills and less of the types of products that are used in hospital settings such as drugs given intravenously.

A growing number of hospitals and other health institutions are now banning the use of samples, however. The reasons range from the difficulty of maintaining proper handling and management of the samples as required by regulatory bodies to the effect of drug samples on cost. An alternative to samples is the use of drug vouchers. With drug vouchers, patients receive a coupon for the drug, which they take to the internet pharmacy to receive the medication for free. The drug company reimburses the pharmacy for the cost of the drug.