U.S. Drug Spending Growth Reaches $309 Billion, 8.5% Higher Than 2014

In 2015, pharmaceutical spending in the United States, after off-invoice discounts and rebates, reached $309.5 billion, about 8.5% higher than in 2014. Spending for specialty medicines reached $150.8 billion on an invoice price basis about 21.5% higher than the previous year.

Total prescriptions dispensed in 2015 reached 4.4 billion, up 1% over 2014. Demand was higher in some therapy areas such as antidepressants and anti-diabetes, each of which increased about 10% in 2015. Among those therapy areas that had a decline in the number of prescriptions dispensed, narcotic drugs dropped by 16.6 . . .