Effect of sample medication restrictions on prescribing at a private clinic.

S ample medications allow physicians to quickly initiate therapy to evaluate initial patient response. However, sample closets primarily contain newer, costly brand name medications and rarely have generic options available. Studies now suggest that sample availability may affect the medications that physicians choose to subsequently prescribe, but little data exist regarding this effect in private practice. In the present study, we explored the effect of removing samples of 3 medication classes on prescribing patterns at a private clinic.