Children have become the new growth industry for prescription drug makers. A study released last month by the pharmacy benefit manager Medco found that 26% of kids under 19—almost 30% of those aged 10 to 19—are now taking prescription medications for a chronic condition. Meanwhile, spending on prescription drugs for children increased by almost 11% last year, the largest increase experienced by all segments of the market, including the elderly. Although asthma drugs are the still the most commonly prescribed therapeutics, kids are increasingly being prescribed drugs that are decidedly uncommon for such young patients: atypical anti-psychotics, diabetes drugs, anti-hypertensives, cholesterol medications and heartburn drugs—expensive therapeutics that in the past were rarely used outside of adult populations.
Medication and Kids: A Growth Industry
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment