Prices for Seniors’ Prescription Drugs Rose 6.1% in 2000, Families USA Study Finds

The average price of the 50 most common medicines prescribed to seniors rose 6.1% last year, according to a new study from Families USA, the AP/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The study examined the prices that drug makers suggest pharmacies charge. "For seniors living on fixed incomes and often paying for drugs out of pocket, consistent price increases force them to make dangerous, even life-threatening, choices," the report said. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America "criticized" the report because it "implies that all seniors pay the same prices for each drug." PhRMA President Alan Holmer said, "The retail prices of the same medicine can vary by more than 100% within the same city block." The inflation rate for overall living costs in 2000 was 2.4% (AP/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/12). The report will be available at http://www.familiesusa.org/ later this week. NPR's "Morning Edition" also reported on the study this morning. An audio file of that story will be available at http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/ at noon ET/9 a.m. PT. Note: You will need RealAudio to listen to the story.