US drug spending growth hits another historic low in 2008
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
US retail prescription drug spending growth decelerated from 4.5% in 2007 to 3.2% in 2008, reflecting a general slowing trend that began in 2000 (with the exception of 2006, the first year of the Medicare drug benefit programme), government analysts say. The 3.2% demonstrated the slowest annual rate of increase in 47 years, while last year the growth rate was the slowest in 44 years.