Anti-depression drugs fuel record-setting drug costs

A Rand Corporation study recently found that doctors prescribe anti-depressants after an average of only three minutes of conversation with their patients.

One of the reasons they're so quick to push drugs like Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil is because of the incredible amount of marketing they are subjected to by the pharmaceutical companies.

Because M.D.s don't have the time to check on real research about the diagnosis and treatment of these drugs, they rely almost solely on drug makers to provide prescribing information. The result is that powerful and potentially dangerous drugs are handed out like candy.

The pharmaceutical companies have apparently been successful in their marketing campaign, since antidepressant drugs are now the biggest contributors to a record-setting drug cost increase of 16.8% last year, according to a study by the country's largest independent pharmacy benefit manager, Express Scripts, Inc.

For consumers, the cost increases mean they will pay a bigger share of the expense in the form of higher copayments, ranging from $5.00 for generic drugs to $25 or more for selected, single-source brands. Employers and other pharmacy benefit plan sponsors currently pay as much as 80% of a prescription's cost, which can amount to more than $100 each in some cases.

Employers are increasingly unable, or unwilling, to foot the enormous medical and drug bills being incurred by their workers and many are greatly reducing health benefits to all employees. Often, the alternative is to reduce other benefits and even salaries as well in order to meet the health care costs. The end result is that all workers face the possibility of less income or fewer benefits in order to continue to make drug companies richer.

Drugs used to treat depression accounted for $4.76 of last year's $47.35 average increase in per member per year drug costs. These drugs are expected to account for more of the pharmacy benefit dollar than any other class of drugs by the end of 1999, according to Express Scripts.

Antidepressant drugs are now the second most used class of drugs, just behind blood pressure controlling antihypertensive drugs like ACE inhibitors. Antidepressant use increased 11.9% last year, while use of antihypertensive drugs increased 9.7%.

The study also found usage growing for drugs that are marketed as ways to control high blood pressure, combat diabetes, lower cholesterol, treat digestive problems, and open sinuses.

Drug prices are higher across the board, too. In 1997-98, prices for all but one of the nation's 50 most prescribed drugs increased, many several times and often by double digits.