September 10, 2010

Prescription Drug Use Continues to Increase: U.S. Prescription Drug Data for 2007-2008

The researchers, Qiuping Gu, M.D., Ph.D.; Charles F. Dillon, M.D., Ph.D.; and Vicki L. Burt, Sc.M., R.N., all of the National Center for Health Statistics, sought to present an overview of current prescription drug use patterns in the United States, with an analysis of how many and what types of medications are being prescribed and to whom. They reviewed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey administered in 2000 and in 2008. In 2008, national spending for prescription drugs was estimated at $234.1 billion, nearly double the spending in 1999.