Depression-treating drugs lead record-setting pharmacy benefit cost rise -- Total increase lower when pharmacy benefit active...( expected this year. On average 7.7 pr...),Health

Toan attributed the growing popularity of antidepressant drugs, to "greater public awareness and acceptance of depression as a disease and the availability of easier to dose, less toxic, better tolerated medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective norephinephrine reuptake inhibitors."

Drugs used to treat depression accounted for $4.76 of last year's $47.35 average increase in per member per year drug costs. These drugs are expected to account for more of the pharmacy benefit dollar than any other class of drugs by the end of 1999, according to Express Scripts. P> Antidepressant drugs are now the second most used class of drugs, just behind blood pressure controlling antihypertensive drugs like ACE inhibitors. Antidepressant use increased 11.9 percent last year from 0.37 to 0.42 prescriptions per year. Use of antihyperintensive drugs increased 9.7 percent from 0.43 to 0.47 prescriptions per year.

The study also found usage growing for drugs that control high blood pressure, combat diabetes, lower cholesterol, treat digestive problems, and open sinuses. Drug prices are higher across the board, too. In 1998, prices for all but one of the nation's 50 most prescribed drugs increased -- many several times and often by double digits. Overall, price increases alone accounted for nearly a third of last year's benefit cost growth, the first time price inflation has played such a prominent role in driving up the total pharmacy benefit cost. P> Toan cautioned that there is "no panacea for stemming the rise in prescription drug costs, not even tiered copayments." He noted that copay levels should not be set so high as to dissuade members from having essential prescriptions filled or refilled, a situation that could result in emergency or inpatient admissions. The levels at which copayments are set
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Contact: Steve Littlejohn
slittlejohn@kupperparker.com
314-290-2024
Kupper Parker Communications
29-Jun-1999