What country spends the most on prescription drugs?

Asked by: Helga McDermott V  |  Last update: November 24, 2023
Score: 4.9/5 (40 votes)

ISSUE: Compared with other high-income countries, the United States spends the most per capita on prescription drugs.

What country uses most prescription drugs?

Prescription drug statistics 2023
  • Data suggests that among those who take prescription medications, the average number of medications taken is four. ...
  • Research on prescription drug spending suggests that the United States consumes the most prescription drugs.

Does the US pay the most for prescription drugs?

According to a 2021 study by the RAND Corporation, a non-profit global policy think tank, prices of prescription drugs in the U.S. are 2.4 times higher than the average prices of nine other nations (Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom).

What country uses the most pharmaceuticals per capita?

The United States spends almost $1,000 per person per year on pharmaceuticals. That's around 40 percent more than the next highest spender, Canada, and more than twice as much as than countries like France and Germany spend.

Why the US pay more for prescription drugs than other countries?

Drug prices in the U.S. compared to other countries

Countries in the EU regulate the price of prescription drugs by dealing directly with pharmaceutical companies. That's something that's uncommon in the U.S. where drug companies generally set their own prices, making the cost of medicines much higher.

New Study Finds US Pays More Than Most Countries Do For Prescription Drugs

38 related questions found

What country has the lowest prescription drug prices?

U.S. prices were 256 percent of those in the 32 comparison countries combined. In comparisons with individual countries, U.S. prices ranged from 170 percent of prices in Mexico to 779 percent of prices in Turkey.

Do US citizens use more pharmaceutical drugs than other countries?

Key Background. The U.S. does not buy or use more drugs than the rest of the world—research puts consumption on par with other wealthy countries—it simply pays more for what it does use. This is in line with its spending on healthcare overall, which is far greater than in similar countries and achieves far less.

Which country is an pharma king?

The pharma king of the world, India.

Is the United States the most medicated country in the world?

About 130 million Americans — many far healthier than the Heckmans — swallow, inject, inhale, infuse, spray, and pat on prescribed medication every month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates. Americans buy much more medicine per person than any other country.

What is the number one selling drug in America?

Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine

The COVID-19 vaccine topped the list of 2022's best-selling pharmaceuticals. It sold slightly more last year.

What is the most common prescription drug in America?

The most prescribed drug, atorvastatin (sold under brand Lipitor), was prescribed to 24.5 million people in the U.S. in 2019, or 7.5% of the population. It was one of many statin medications listed, which are used to prevent cardiovascular disease and treat abnormal lipid levels.

What is the most used prescribed drug in the world?

So, let's now take a look at the drugs being consumed the most across the world, starting with:
  • Meloxicam. Total prescriptions: 19,808,581. ...
  • Tamsulosin. Total prescriptions: 24,692,402. ...
  • Trazodone. Total prescriptions: 26,210,731. ...
  • Prednisone. Total prescriptions: 19,044,926. ...
  • Bupropion. ...
  • Pantoprazole. ...
  • Furosemide. ...
  • Fluticasone.

What drugs does China supply to the US?

Towards a stronger US pharmaceutical supply chain

The surge in US-China pharmaceutical trade has resulted in Chinese producers achieving a considerable share of US imports in both benign areas such as fever reducers and laxatives and some critical drugs like antibiotics.

What percentage of prescription drugs are made in China?

What we know: A study of US pharmaceutical production estimates that 54 percent of APIs used to manufacture finished pharmaceutical goods consumed in the United States are produced here; only 6 percent are sourced from China. Only 7 percent of total US API imports come from China.

Who is the largest drug manufacturer in US?

Johnson & Johnson is the leading Pharma company by market cap in the US (as of Mar 31, 2023). The company reported revenues of $94,943 million for the fiscal year ended January 2022 (FY2022), an increase of 1.2% over FY2021.

Which is the biggest pharma city in world?

Hyderabad Pharma City (HPC) is the world's largest integrated cluster in Hyderabad for pharmaceutical industries with thrust on R&D and manufacturing. The cluster has been recognized as National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) by Government of India, given its national and international importance.

Who are the Big 5 in pharma?

The five biggest pharmaceutical companies by market cap are Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, AbbVie and Merck. The biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world are responsible for developing and manufacturing the vast majority of prescription drugs, giving them a key role in the life science industry.

Which is the largest pharmacy chain in the world?

1. Walgreens Boots Alliance. Walgreens Boots Alliance, based in the United States, takes the lead as the world's largest pharmacy chain. With an extensive network of over 18,500 stores across 11 countries, the company serves millions of customers daily.

Why are drug prices so high in the United States?

There are thousands of health insurance plans all across the country. Each has to negotiate its own prices with drugmakers separately. Because Americans are fragmented across all these different health insurers, plans have much less bargaining power to demand lower prices.

What percent of the US is on prescription drugs?

More than 131 million people — 66 percent of all adults in the United States — use prescription drugs. Utilization is particularly high for older people and those with chronic conditions. Prescription drugs are costly.

Which state in USA has more pharmaceutical companies?

California (359 businesses), Colorado (201 businesses) and New Jersey (171 businesses) are the States with the most number of Brand Name Pharmaceutical Manufacturing businesses in the US.

What is the most expensive drug deal?

Hemgenix. With a whopping $3.5 million price tag, CSL Behring and uniQure have the world's new most expensive drug in Hemgenix. The one-time gene therapy won an FDA approval in November to treat adults with hemophilia B who currently use factor IX prophylactic therapy.

What percentage of Americans are on at least one prescription?

The number of U.S. adults who report taking at least one prescription medication per day is now 70%, a 14 percentage-point increase from 2019 data. Additionally, the percentage of people taking four or more prescription medications daily in the US has increased by six percentage points, from 18% to 24%.