U.S. Drug Spending Increases Most in 13 Years to $373.9 Billion
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U.S. spending on prescription drugs saw the largest increase since 2001, with the nation’s pharmacy bill rising to $373.9 billion last year as new treatments came to market and manufacturers increased prices on old ones.
“Last year’s $43 billion growth in spending on medicines was the highest ever,” said Murray Aitken, executive director the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, which issued the report. The institute is part of IMS Health Holdings Inc., a data company that tracks prescription drug use.