US Prescription Drug Prices Up 2.3% In First Quarter

25 May 1997

Overall prices of prescription drugs in the USA rose at an annualizedrate of 2.3% in the first quarter of 1997, reports IMS America. This compares to increases of 1.8%, 2.0% and 1.8% in the fourth, third and second quarters of 1996 respectively.

Although the rate of rise is slightly higher than in the earlier quarters, it is lower than the rise in the Consumer Price Index, which was 2.8% for the quarter, and that of the Producer Price Index, up 4.0%.

Prices overall in the retail sector were up 2.9% compared to the like, year-earlier period. Prices of generics fell 13.1%, calculated at an annualized rate, while prices of branded drugs sold through pharmacies rose 4.6%, compared with rises of 3.9% and 4.0% reported for the fourth and third quarter of 1996 respectively.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK

More ones to watch >

Today's issue

Company Spotlight

Ironwood is a US-based biotech advancing a pipeline of medicines in multiple areas of significant unmet need, including irritable bowel syndrome with constipation ((IBS-C)/chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC), vascular and fibrotic diseases, and refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease, among others.