Our March 11 newsletter featured an article on the generic drug price fixing investigation under way by the Department of Justice and at least 47 state attorneys general. There are also many questions and concerns that lawmakers and patient advocates are raising about recent price spikes of brand name drugs. On March 26, Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill released a report from the U.S. Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee, Minority Office's investigation into pharmaceutical price increases:
Manufactured Crisis: How Devastating Drug Price Increases Are Harming America’s Seniors
The 12-page report identifies the 20 most-prescribed drugs for seniors in 2017 and compares price changes of those drugs for five years, between 2012 and 2017. Some of the key findings include: For these 20 brand name drugs, prices increased an average of 12% each year for five years; this is approximately ten times the cost of inflation during the period from 2012 to 2017. The number of prescriptions written for many of these 20 drugs have sharply declined (48 million fewer) since 2012, while the sales revenue resulting from these 20 prescriptions increased by almost 8.5 billion in this period, causing healthcare costs to stay high even though use of the drugs has been reduced. The percent change in price between 2012 and 2017 ranged from a low of 31% (for the shingles vaccine Zostavax) to a high of 477% (for the brand-name nitroglycerin, Nitrostat). Drugs that have had sharp drops in number of prescriptions include Crestor (statin) and Nitrostat (nitroglycerin) while drugs that have had an increase in number of prescriptions over the five years include Restasis for dry eyes and Xarelto blood thinner.
15 of the 20 brand names identified in the report, along with data on price increases and links to patient reviews:
|
Top 15 of the Most Commonly
Prescribed Brand Name Drugs for Seniors and Recent Price Increases |
|
| Advair Diskus (asthma) | |
| $227.60 | 2012 price |
| $360.86 | 2017 price |
| 59% | price increase |
| Crestor (cholesterol) | |
| $349.31 | 2012 price |
| $615.65 | 2017 price |
| 76% | price increase |
| Januvia (diabetes) | |
| $306.58 | 2012 price |
| $517.91 | 2017 price |
| 69% | price increase |
| Lantus (diabetes) | |
| $121.88 | 2012 price |
| $250.24 | 2017 price |
| 105% | price increase |
| Lyrica (nerve pain) | |
| $264.43 | 2012 price |
| $600.35 | 2017 price |
| 127% | price increase |
| Nexium (acid reflux) | |
| $256.99 | 2012 price |
| $368.85 | 2017 price |
| 44% | price increase |
| Premarin (hysterectomy) | |
| $255.94 | 2012 price |
| $554.60 | 2017 price |
| 117% | price increase |
| Restasis (dry eyes) | |
| $167.62 | 2012 price |
| $321.26 | 2017 price |
| 92% | price increase |
| Spiriva (COPD; asthma) | |
| $244.77 | 2012 price |
| $348.30 | 2017 price |
| 42% | price increase |
| Symbicort (COPD; asthma) | |
| $206.05 | 2012 price |
| $293.46 | 2017 price |
| 42% | price increase |
| Synthroid (hypothyroidism;Hashimoto) | |
| $96.35 | 2012 price |
| $153.82 | 2017 price |
| 60% | price increase |
| Tamiflu (flu) | |
| $97.94 | 2012 price |
| $143.18 | 2017 price |
| 46% | price increase |
| Ventolin (asthma) | |
| $34.67 | 2012 price |
| $50.68 | 2017 price |
| 46% | price increase |
| Xarelto (afib) | |
| $258.82 | 2012 price |
| $449.51 | 2017 price |
| 74% | price increase |
| Zetia (cholesterol) | |
| $225.63 | 2012 price |
| $483.71 | 2017 price |
| 114% | price increase |
Sources and More on this Topic:
March 20, 2018:
press release on ending pharmacist gag clause
March 26, 2018:
press release on price increases of brand name drugs
August 9, 2017: bill to become law plan with Collins to tackle cost of Rx drugs: press release
United States Senate's Special Committee on Aging: Committee report of bipartisan drug pricing investigation