This may seem like a trick question because, after all, it’s free. How can something that’s free cost anything?
People and professionals have long wondered whether there was a downside to giving away free samples of prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies keep doctors’ offices well-stocked on such free samples, so they obviously suspected it was a way to introduce patients to their brand and get them to come back for more. As paying customers.
Now a new study puts the matter to rest and explains why that “free” sample actually results in higher costs — for everyone.