U.S. prescription drug prices fall for the first time

When it comes to drug prices, everyone has a headache In developed countries, drug price is also one of the focuses of the government How to provide high-quality medical services and reduce the national medical expenses without hurting the enthusiasm of drug companies in research and development is a great test for the government According to the Washington Post, the price of prescription drugs in the U.S dropped by 1% last year Although not much, this is the first time in 45 years in the U.S the main reason for the decline is that the medical system is more inclined to generic drugs, and the growth of brand drug sales is slowing down, according to a government study The drug price study, conducted by the center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), described the first decline in prescription drug prices as an achievement the New York Times has not seen since the fall of 0.2% in 1973 According to the CMS report quoted by the Washington Post, although the retail price dropped by 1%, the total expenditure on prescription drugs in 2018 still increased by 2.5% to US $355 billion Overall, the medical expenditure in the United States rose to US $3.6 trillion in 2018, an increase of 4.6% The CMS report also points out that the U.S medical expenditure accounts for nearly 18% of the U.S economy, with a per capita medical expenditure of $11172 According to the analysis of the New York Times, 9% of the US $3.6 trillion in medical expenses are spent on prescription drugs in pharmacies outside hospitals Although the price of prescription drugs has declined for the first time, the U.S efforts to reduce drug prices continue At the time of the CMS report, lawmakers in the US Congress and the US government are studying different plans to control the price of prescription drugs in the US Most of the legislation to be passed by the two houses of Congress is aimed at drugs covered by government funded projects such as medical insurance Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the house of Representatives, plans to push ahead with her health care drug pricing plan next week, proposing to link the health care payment price with the international drug price index, punish those drug companies that do not participate in the plan, and allow private insurance companies to participate in the health care drug pricing structure, with a minimum vote expected as soon as next week As expected, the house plan was opposed by the pharmaceutical industry and some White House officials Stat reported that more than 100 CEOs of emerging biopharmaceutical companies opposed the speaker's plan If the legislation is passed, it will bring terrible consequences to the pharmaceutical industry.