Almost Half of Americans Took a Prescription Drug in Past Month
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2010/09/...in-last-month/
Almost Half of Americans Took a Prescription Drug in Past Month
The government today released some new stats on prescription-drug use through 2008. The headline finding: Over the previous decade, the proportion of Americans (of all ages) reporting they took a prescription drug in the past month rose to 48% from 44%.
Some other key findings:
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the trade association for drug makers, said in a statement that “as we learn more about disease, prescription medicines are justifiably playing an increasingly important role.” The group noted that many patients still lack access to needed medications, and that in many cases early interventions and improved compliance would improve health outcomes. “The best solution for all patients is to strike the right medical balance between proper and effective use of prescription medicines and other therapies and interventions,” it said.
A few months back, the pharmacy-benefits manager Medco issued its own figures for prescription-drug use and spending, covering 2009. It reported that use among adults held fairly steady, edging up slightly among those over 65 and dropping a bit for those aged 50-64 — but use among those 19 and under rose by 5%.
Update: This post has been updated to include a statement from PhRMA.
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2010/09/...in-last-month/
- September 2, 2010, 3:43 PM ET
Almost Half of Americans Took a Prescription Drug in Past Month
Some other key findings:
- The percentage of people reporting the use of multiple prescription drugs in the last month also rose, to 31% for two or more prescriptions and 11% (a near-doubling of the previous 6%)) for five or more drugs.
- As you’d expect, prescription-drug use varied by age, with about 20% of kids under 12 and 90% of older Americans (defined as age 60 and over — sorry, Mom!) reporting the use of at least one drug in the past month.
- Among the 60-plus crowd, more than 76% used at least two drugs in the past month and 37% used at least five. Of that finding — which stems, of course, from the fact that older folks often have multiple diseases — the report says that “excessive prescribing or polypharmacy is also an acknowledged safety risk for older Americans, and a continuing challenge that may contribute to adverse drug events, medication compliance issues and increased health-care costs.”
- The type of drugs used most often were asthma meds for kids, central nervous system stimulants (such as those used to treat ADHD) for teens, antidepressants for the middle-aged and cholesterol-lowering drugs for older people.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the trade association for drug makers, said in a statement that “as we learn more about disease, prescription medicines are justifiably playing an increasingly important role.” The group noted that many patients still lack access to needed medications, and that in many cases early interventions and improved compliance would improve health outcomes. “The best solution for all patients is to strike the right medical balance between proper and effective use of prescription medicines and other therapies and interventions,” it said.
A few months back, the pharmacy-benefits manager Medco issued its own figures for prescription-drug use and spending, covering 2009. It reported that use among adults held fairly steady, edging up slightly among those over 65 and dropping a bit for those aged 50-64 — but use among those 19 and under rose by 5%.
Update: This post has been updated to include a statement from PhRMA.
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