Chronic disease cited as reason for increase in drug expenditures

Retail prescription drug sales, in terms of dollars, rose 17.3 percent in 2001, though increases varied widely from state to state. An audit by Verispan Scott-Levin shows that increases in drug expenditures ranged from 12 percent in Maine to 25 percent in Alaska. Verispan Scott-Levin collects information from over 140 million prescription claims monthly, covering 71 percent of retail dispensing activity nationwide. Verispan is a new joint venture of Quintiles Transnational Corp. (which included Scott-Levin) and McKesson Corp.

Increase in expenditures, by state

SOURCE: VERISPAN SCOTT-LEVIN, SOURCE PRESCRIPTION AUDIT, 2001