US drug costs are rising faster than overall health spending, officials report

Spending on prescription drugs in the United States has risen sharply in recent years and is projected to consume an increasing share of overall healthcare, says a government report.1

The report, released 8 March, came on the same day that Medicare officials announced a new proposal aimed at curtailing spending on expensive specialty drugs. The cost of drugs is a growing concern in the US, with one recent poll finding that 77% of adults thought it should be a priority to ensure that high cost drugs were …