November 2008

Diabetes, cholesterol, anti-obesity drugs top consumer prescription medicine spending

Adult consumers in the United States spent nearly $36 billion for prescription drugs to lower blood sugar, reduce cholesterol, or help with other metabolic problems in 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The four other classes of drugs that topped spending among adults were:

***  Cardiovascular drugs, for reducing high blood pressure and treating heart conditions ($33 billion).

***  Central nervous system drugs, which include pain killers, sleep aid medications and medications for attention deficit disorder ($26 billion).

***  Antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs ($17 billion).

***  Gastrointestinal drugs, including antacids and laxatives ($15 billion).

Purchases of these five top classes of drugs totaled $127 billion in 2005 -- nearly two thirds of the total $199 billion spent on all outpatient prescription medicines.

SOURCE: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2008.