Doctors have a new ally in keeping their patients adherent to cardiovascular medication: a urine test that can determine whether a person has taken 80 different blood pressure or cholesterol drugs in the last day or two.
The test, manufactured by Aegis Sciences, is called KardiAssure and allows “providers to have a very focused conversation with their patients,” Aegis CEO Frank Basile told NPR.
Adherence to cardiovascular medications is traditionally poor, and a couple of cardiologists told NPR they can see the benefit of the new technology, which costs about $100 per test but can be covered with insurance, including Medicare.
Bryan Doherty, MD, said the test led to one patient admitting he hadn’t been taking his medication when he previously claimed otherwise. By getting the lie out in the open, Doherty learned that drug cost was an issue, allowing him to explore more affordable alternatives.
Tom Johnston, MD, who runs a hypertension clinic in Nashville, Tennessee, said knowing whether a patient is truly taking a prescribed medication could help a clinician avoid trying unnecessary alternatives.
"I think there are a lot of times where you're questioning in your mind whether someone has taken their medicine or not," Johnston said. "I think it would be good for the patient, too, for the doctor to know that they're not taking their medicine so that we may not go down the wrong pathway."
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Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.