AARP Report: Brand-Name Drug Prices Rose in 2009
Prices for the 217 brand-name drugs most commonly used by elderly U.S. residents increased by 8.3% on average in 2009, according to a report released on Wednesday by AARP. The increase, which is the largest in years, came despite negative inflation. The report found that over the previous five years, retail prices for the most popular brand-name medications rose by 41.5%, compared with an increase in the consumer price index of 13.3%.
- "AARP Says Brand-Name Drug Prices Up 8% in 2009" (Wilson, New York Times, 8/24).