Rising cost of prescription drugs

Prescription drug discount card one option in managing rising costs

The cost of prescription drugs, and therefore prescription drug discount cards, has been a hot topic for a number of years. Despite public outcry and government intervention, wholesale prices for the 50 top selling brand name medications increased an average of 7.82% in 2007 according to Delta Marketing Dynamics. When you consider that the previous two years only saw increases of 6.73% and 6.22% respectively, and the inflation rate in 2007 was 4.1%, that number becomes even more dramatic.

Generic drugs are a lower cost option, and for good reason. The average brand name prescription price was over 3 times that of the average generic price. This large price difference has boosted generic drug sales, which grew 22%.*

While generic drugs do offer a significant cost savings, prescription medicine is still a burdensome expense for many individuals. Prescription drug discount cards are one option for curtailing those out-of-pocket expenses while still receiving the medication necessary.

*The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 21, 2008