Prescription drug expenditure in the U.S. 1960-2024
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimate that prescription drug expenditure in the United States will reach around 460 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. This amount includes only retail drug spending, excluding nonretail. Estimations of drug spending can vary by investigating organization. For the U.S., among the most relevant drug spending calculations are provided by CMS, ASPE (Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation), and pharmaceutical market researcher IQVIA.
High drug prices in the U.S.
The United States is the country with the highest total drug spending, and also with the highest per capita pharmaceuticals spending among developed countries. This is mostly connected to higher drug prices in the United States. For example, the price for the blockbuster drug Humira was almost three times higher in the United States than in Germany in 2017. But whereas in other countries, governments more or less directly control drug prices, the U.S. leaves drug pricing to market competition. As a consequence, the U.S. market is the most profitable for pharmaceutical companies.
Where the money is spent
Nearly half of all Americans have taken at least one prescription medicine within the preceding month. The therapeutic areas where spending is the highest are ‘traditionally’ to be found among antidiabetics, oncologics, autoimmune, and respiratory diseases. Based on number of prescriptions filled, antihypertensives, pain reliever, and mental health drugs are the leading classes.
