Manufacturers' Prices and Pharmacists' Changes for Prescription Drugs Used by the Elderly

摘要

The report is a study of trends in manufacturers' prices and pharmacists' charges for prescription drugs used by the elderly. The report also examines the traditional chain of distribution and recent changes in the health care system that affect prices for prescription drugs used by the elderly. The elderly population is growing in total number and as a percent of the total U.S. population. Therefore, the utilization and cost of health care for this population is of increasing interest. The analysis in the report focuses on those drug entities that account for a significant proportion (80%) of the elderly's retail expenditures on prescription drugs. The report also analyzes changes in manufacturers' prices and pharmacists' charges for those drugs between 1981 and 1988.