Patients being treated for chronic hepatitis C become less likely to take their medications over time, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Since the study also showed better response to the drugs when they're taken correctly, the researchers say the findings should prompt clinicians to assess patients for barriers to medication adherence throughout their treatment, and develop strategies to help them stay on track. The study is published online this month in Annals of Internal Medicine.

People with chronic illnesses are more likely to take long-term medications according to doctors' instructions if the packaging includes a reminder system, according to a new review of evidence.

Reminder packaging improves both the number of doses taken and clinical measures of medication effectiveness, such as blood pressure.

Although most of the studies included in the review were small and of low-to-moderate quality, it provides enough evidence that policymakers and pharmaceutical companies should "sit up and take notice," said lead author Kamal Mahtani, M.D, of the Oxford University, in England.