U.S. drug prices outstrip other medical costs: GAO
March 13, 2001
Reuters
Reporting by Deena Beasley; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Bernard Orr
U.S. prices for brand-name prescription drugs rose at a faster rate than costs for other medical goods and services over the last four years, according to a new U.S. government report.
The nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the "usual and customary" price index for the top 100 commonly used drugs increased by an annual average of 6.6 percent from 2006 through the first quarter of 2010, compared with a 3.8 percent average annual increase in the consumer price index for medical goods and services.
Download the report