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Shape, Color of Generic Pill Disrupts Medication Adherence By Staff Reporter Jul 15, 2014 09:34 AM EDT Change in shape and color of generic pills also prevent patients from adhering to medication regimen, a new study suggests.

Generic versions of prescription drugs are same and can be interchanged. These drugs often look different because they are being manufactured by different companies. Researchers have now found that change in shape and color can discourage patients from using the drugs. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration doesn't require consistent coloring or shape of generic drugs. The study was conducted by researchers at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and is published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The research adds one more reason why people stop taking medicines. Other factors for discontinuing treatment include cost of drugs, confusion about dosage or timings and feeling that the drugs are unnecessary, Medical Daily reported. "After patients have a first heart attack, guidelines mandate treatment with an array of long-term medications and stopping these medications may ultimately increase morbidity and mortality," explained Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, at BWH and senior investigator of this study, according to a news release. "Medications are essential to the treatment of cardiovascular disease and our study found that pill appearance plays an important role in ensuring patients are taking the generic medications that they need."The study was based on data from 10,000 patients discharged between 2006 and 2011 who were on various medications after being treated for heart attacks. The drugs included were generic beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-II-receptor blockers, or cholesterol-lowering statins. The team found that the odds of patients not continuing the medication increased by 34 percent when the generic pill color was changed. Also, non-adherence rose by 66 percent after a change in pill shape.Americans have saved as much as $1.2 trillion by taking generic drugs by using copycat versions of drugs instead of the pricey brand-name ones, Los Angeles Times reported.