The consultancy firm Iqvia has published a report in which it reports that spending on prescription drugs in the US was $457bn in 2017, ie only +0.6% vs 2016; which is a significant slowdown from the growth rate recorded in the past 
years (>+4%).
The report also points out that in 2017 there were more discounts applied by pharmaceutical companies and taking these into account results in a reduction in profits for pharmaceutical groups. Interestingly, the prescribing of opioid painkillers is declining and in 2017 the reduction was 12% in milligrams of morphine (or equivalent).
The most prescribed drugs in the US are those against hypertension and these will continue to grow in the future. The entire expenditure on prescription drugs will also return to growth in the coming years and according to Iqvia will reach $550bn-$600bn by 2022.
(Source Iqvia)
Related news: Medicine Use and Spending in the US
