In the United States, the total non-discounted spending on medicines reached approximately 714 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Spending increased each year between 2012 and 2023.
How are drugs categorized in the United States?
Sales of brand name drugs accounted for nearly an 86 percent share of the money spent on medicines in the United States in 2023. Humira was the medicine that generated the most sales revenue until 2021, making over 20 billion U.S. dollars per year. Drugs can be categorized in various ways, but one common method is to group them by therapeutic use, i.e., by the type of condition they are used to treating. Antidiabetics continues to be one of the categories where the most money is spent in the United States.
What is Humira used for?
Humira is a drug used to reduce the signs and symptoms of a number of autoimmune diseases in adults, such as rheumatoid arthritis. The drug, manufactured by the company AbbVie, was the leading pharmaceutical product worldwide based on sales before the COVID-19 vaccines entered the market. Sales of Humira account for a disproportional large chunk of AbbVie’s total revenue. The prescription drug is given by an injection under the skin, and two kits of the Humira Pen (40 mg) cost an average of 4,480 U.S. dollars in the United States in 2017, which was far more expensive than other selected countries.
Total nominal spending on medicines in the U.S. from 2002 to 2023
(in billion U.S. dollars)
Non-discounted spending at invoice level. COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics are included. Includes prescription and insulin products sold into chain and independent pharmacies, food store pharmacies, mail service pharmacies, long-term care facilities, hospitals, clinics, and other institutional settings. Excludes OTC. This statistic was assembled from several editions of the same IMS Health/QuintilesIMS/IQVIA report. Some figures have been restated compared to previous reports.
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IQVIA, & Association for Accessible Medicines. (February 6, 2024). Total nominal spending on medicines in the U.S. from 2002 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 26, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/238689/us-total-expenditure-on-medicine/
IQVIA, und Association for Accessible Medicines. "Total nominal spending on medicines in the U.S. from 2002 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)." Chart. February 6, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 26, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/238689/us-total-expenditure-on-medicine/
IQVIA, Association for Accessible Medicines. (2024). Total nominal spending on medicines in the U.S. from 2002 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 26, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/238689/us-total-expenditure-on-medicine/
IQVIA, and Association for Accessible Medicines. "Total Nominal Spending on Medicines in The U.S. from 2002 to 2023 (in Billion U.S. Dollars)." Statista, Statista Inc., 6 Feb 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/238689/us-total-expenditure-on-medicine/
IQVIA & Association for Accessible Medicines, Total nominal spending on medicines in the U.S. from 2002 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/238689/us-total-expenditure-on-medicine/ (last visited December 26, 2024)
Total nominal spending on medicines in the U.S. from 2002 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph], IQVIA, & Association for Accessible Medicines, February 6, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/238689/us-total-expenditure-on-medicine/
