AXIOS (Courtenay Brown) - Why prescription drug prices are plunging
Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Chart: Courtenay Brown/Axios America is experiencing its biggest prescription drug price deflation in generations. Why it matters: By one important measure, there is a striking reversal underway for one of health care's most stubbornly expensive necessities amid a major Washington push to lower drug costs. By the numbers: Prescription drug prices fell 0.8% in July and are down 3.1% from a year ago — the steepest annual decline in more than six decades, according to the recent Consumer Price Index . - Prices haven't risen in any month this year, an unusually persistent stretch of flat or falling drug prices. - The downward trend comes as costs for hospital and physician services continue to rise. The…
Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Chart: Courtenay Brown/Axios America is experiencing its biggest prescription drug price deflation in generations. Why it matters: By one important measure, there is a striking reversal underway for one of health care's most stubbornly expensive necessities amid a major Washington push to lower drug costs. By the numbers: Prescription drug prices fell 0.8% in July and are down 3.1% from a year ago — the steepest annual decline in more than six decades, according to the recent Consumer Price Index . - Prices haven't risen in any month this year, an unusually persistent stretch of flat or falling drug prices. - The downward trend comes as costs for hospital and physician services continue to rise. The…Open