Average annual price increases have declined at least four years in a row for 20 of America’s top-selling brand-name prescription drugs, according to a STAT analysis of data from Truven Health Analytics, an IBM Watson business.
The data suggest that public and political outrage over the high cost of vital medicines may be swaying corporate strategies. Price growth was especially low in 2017 — perhaps due, in part, to peer pressure, as several top pharma companies have made public pledges to limit price hikes.
Prices for the drugs STAT analyzed, which treat conditions including arthritis, diabetes, HIV, and asthma, have jumped by average of 6.9 percent over the past year. By comparison, the price hikes for these same drugs averaged:
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