Pharmaceutical spending per capita in selected countries 2023

Pharmaceutical spending per capita in Canada stood at 995 U.S. dollars in 2022 (current prices). In comparison, the United States reported per capita spending of 1,564 U.S. dollars. As for medical goods and services in general, the U.S. is among the countries with highest health costs worldwide. The higher costs in the United States are particularly obvious when compared to other high-income, developed countries.

Higher drug prices in the U.S.

However, higher spending on pharmaceuticals is less impacted by higher drug usage by Americans and more by significantly higher drug prices in the United States. While in other countries, drug prices are regulated more or less by governments, the U.S. leaves drug pricing to market competition. As an outcome, the U.S. market is the most profitable for pharmaceutical companies. For example, the price for blockbuster drug Humira was twice as high in the United States as in the United Kingdom.

Rx drug usage in the U.S.

Almost half of all Americans have taken at least one prescription medicine within the preceding month. Generally, women take more prescribed drugs than men, although the difference decreased significantly over the past two decades. In the United States, among the therapeutic areas where spending is the highest are antidiabetics, oncologics, autoimmune, and respiratory diseases. On the other hand, antihypertensives and mental health drugs are the leading classes based on number of prescriptions filled.