Pharma
Times
Drug costs are set to rise 3%-5% in all US healthcare settings this year,
driven by factors including fewer new generics coming to market, say new
forecasts.
Prescription drugs account
for around 11% of total US healthcare costs, and spending on these products has
lessened in recent years, dropping 0.7% to around $326 billion in the year
ending September 30 2013 compared with 2012, according to a new study, which
has been published online ahead of print by the American Journal of
Health-System Pharmacy (AJHP).
However, the authors
expect a reversal of this trend in 2014, forecasting a 3%-5% increase in drug
spending across all settings, with a 5%-7% rise in expenditures for
clinic-administered drugs and a 1%-3% increase in hospital drug spending.