Data on West Virginia Prescription Drug Price Increases Released

The skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs have been making headlines nationwide. Earlier this week, AARP released data regarding the impact of high prescription drug prices on West Virginians.

West Virginians with chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, asthma and COPD are especially impacted by these dramatic increases. Records show that 188,115 West Virginia residents have diagnosed with cancer – yet the cost of the cancer drug Revlimid has increased from $185,574 per year to a whopping $267,583 per year in the last 5 years.
 
Likewise, the cost of the diabetes drug Victoza, which many of the 181,061 West Virginians diagnosed with diabetes depend on has increased from $7,936 to $11,300 per year over the same time period.  Similarly, the cost of the Spiriva Handihaler, which treats asthma and COPD, has increased from $3,886 to $5,289 per year over a 5 year time span. This impacts the 223,662 West Virginians diagnosed with asthma and/or COPD.
 
AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins recently wrote "Older Americans simply cannot afford skyrocketing prescription drug prices, and those with chronic conditions will face these high and rising costs every year for the rest of their lives. Alarmingly, one out of three Americans do not take their prescriptions as prescribed because they cannot afford the medicine." That is why AARP is advocating for fair drug prices. It is outrageous for Americans to pay more than three times what people in other countries pay for the same medicines.
 
Click here to download an infographic regarding West Virginia’s skyrocketing prescription drug costs.