Hepatitis C Drugs Drove Increased Spending in 2014
Driven by new hepatitis C and compounded medications, prescription drug spending increased by 13.1% in 2014, according to a recent report.
Specialty medications, including those for multiple sclerosis and cancer, were responsible for 31% of the overall drug spending in 2014, and, despite having the 2nd lowest prescription rate among the top 10 specialty conditions, medications for hepatitis C accounted for 45% of the increase.
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Overall, hepatitis C medication spending rose 743% in 2014 compared to 2013, due to newer, interferon-free regimens that could cost more than $100,000 per person.
The authors of the report further noted that along with new treatment options for hepatitis C, new cancer drugs and PCSK9 inhibitors for high cholesterol—with a cost around $10,000 per patient—will contribute to further increased drug spending.
-Michelle Canales Butcher
Reference:
1. Express Scripts. US prescription drug spending increased 13.1 percent in 2014, driven by hepatitis C and compounded medications: 2014 Express Scripts drug trend report. March 10, 2015. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=69641&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2024132. Accessed March 11, 2015.