A new federal report has found that brand-name
drug prices have increased three times as fast as generic-drug
prices over the past four years, and healthcare-reform advocates
said this information could be used to encourage legislators to
insert a pro-generics provision into the new Medicare prescription-drug
benefit currently set to begin next January.
The report, from the Government Accountability
Office (GAO), found the average price for a 30-day supply of 96
drugs frequently used by Medicare and non-Medicare enrollees increased
24.5 percent from January 2000 to December 2004.
Of the 96 drugs, 20 accounted for nearly two-thirds
of the increase, and the price increases for 75 prescription drugs
frequently used by Medicare beneficiaries closely resembled the
increases for 76 drugs needed by non-Medicare consumers.
Pfizer's Lipitor 10 milligram size and Celebrex
topped the list of drug price increases, while only one generic
-- hydrocodone/acetaminophen -- made the top 20, and more than 50
frequently used brand-name drugs cost three times more than their
generic counterparts.
Other drugs with significant price increases included
Bristol-Myers Squibb's Plavix; TAP Pharmaceutical's Prevacid; Pfizer's
Lipitor 20 mg; Sanofi-Aventis's Ambien, and Merck's Zocor used to
treat men's and women's health.
The report surveyed both the usual and customary
prices covered by prescription-drug insurance and the prices individuals
without insurance would pay at retail pharmacies. GAO researchers
also used two state pharmacy-assistance programs used by Medicare
and non-Medicare enrollees, average prices paid to manufacturers
by wholesalers and the average suggested sticker prices that wholesalers
charge pharmacies.
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