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Trends in Manufacturer Prices of Prescription Drugs Used by Older Americans

By David Gross and Susan Raetzman, AARP Public Policy Institute and Stephen W. Schondelmeyer, PRIME Institute of the University of Minnesota 

November 2005

These AARP Public Policy Institute reports present the results of studies of changes in manufacturers' prescription drug list prices (i.e., the prices set by drug manufacturers to charge wholesalers and other direct purchasers for drug products) for roughly 200 brand name and 75 generic prescription drugs most widely used by Americans age 50+. 

Specifically, the reports compare price changes with the rate of inflation from one year to the next and, beginning in 2004, show changes on a quarterly basis. They also present differences in average price changes by manufacturer and by major therapeutic category. The sample of drugs studied was identified using 2003 data from the AARP Pharmacy Service, and changes in prices charged by drug manufacturers to wholesalers were measured using changes in the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC). 

Read the full report on brand name drugs, available here. 

Read the full report on generic drugs, available here.