Drug use and expenditures in 1982.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacoeconomics
• Health Economics
• Drug Utilization Research

Background:

• Drug utilization and expenditures are key indicators of healthcare trends and economic impact.
• Understanding national drug spending patterns is crucial for healthcare policy and resource allocation.
• Historical data provides valuable context for current pharmaceutical market analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide national estimates of drug use and expenditures for the year 1982.
• To identify trends in outpatient drug exposure and prescription spending.
• To analyze the distribution of pharmaceutical expenditures across major therapeutic classes and healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• Estimation of national drug use and expenditures based on available data for 1982.
• Analysis of prescription data to determine the most frequently dispensed drug chemicals.
• Examination of healthcare expenditure data for both retail pharmacies and hospitals.

Main Results:

• Total outpatient drug exposure increased by 5% from 1981 to 1982 and 28% from 1971 to 1982.
• Hydrochlorothiazide was the most frequently dispensed drug, present in over 5% of 1982 prescriptions.
• Sixteen major therapeutic classes accounted for approximately 80% of pharmaceutical expenditures.
• Hospitals spent $3.0 billion, with anti-infectives comprising one-third of this total for systemic use.
• The prescription drug component of the consumer price index rose 11.7% in 1982.
• Consumers spent an estimated $14.5 billion on prescriptions from retail pharmacies.

Conclusions:

• Significant growth in drug utilization and associated expenditures occurred in 1982.
• Specific drugs like hydrochlorothiazide dominated dispensing patterns.
• A substantial portion of healthcare spending was concentrated in major therapeutic classes and hospital settings.
• Rising prescription costs contributed to inflation, impacting consumer spending on medications.