Drug spending in U.S. tops the world. Translation: No pricing-headache relief soon

Fierce Pharma ------- What will it take for pharma to get the drug-pricing monkey off its back? A research report this month laid out the pricing landscape, tensions and problems pharma companies face. At the top of the list? The unrivaled access U.S. patients enjoy comes at a cost. Annual per capita spending on prescription drugs in the U.S. is $1,112, about one-third higher than neighboring Canada, which ranked second in the world at $772 spent per person every year. Germany ($741), France ($646) and Spain ($547) rounded out the top five in per capita drug spending, according to a report from Datamonitor Healthcare. And there's little sign of a slowdown. The price of branded prescription drugs in the U.S., at invoice level, increased at double-digit rates from 2012 to 2015. The hike was more than 9% in 2016, according to the report. To learn more click on the picture below to read the article.