Sovaldi leads Medicare spending; See how much other drugs cost in 2014 Part D claims
Overall, CMS said the amount it spent on drugs in 2014 grew by 17 percent year over year, driven by rising pharmaceutical costs.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services paid out $3.1 billion in claims for hepatitis drug Sovaldi, the agency showed on Thursday, making it the top drug by Medicare spending for the entire year.
What's striking, though, is only 33,000 Medicare beneficiaries received the pricey drug.
[Also: Medicare Part D spending up more than 17% in 2014 as drug prices rise]
By contrast, Nexium, an acid reflux drug that topped Medicare Part D spending in 2013, was second on the list with nearly $2.7 billion in Medicare payments. However, more than 1.4 million Medicare beneficiaries received that medication.
Overall, CMS said the amount it spent on drugs in 2014 grew by 17 percent year over year, driven by rising pharmaceutical costs.
The table below shows individual Medicare spending for every drug billed to the federal health insurer in 2014. It is sortable by total spend, beneficiaries and the number of claims.
| Drug | Generic Name | Beneficiaries | Prescribers | Total claims | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug | Generic Name | Beneficiaries | Prescribers | Total claims | Total cost |
Twitter: @HenryPowderly
Contact the author: henry.powderly@himssmedia.com
