Prescription Drugs Costs Rise by 13% in the United States; International Online Pharmacies like NorthWestPharmacy.com Continue to Provide Low Prices

Many Americans have experienced firsthand the rising cost of prescription drugs in the United States. A recent study conducted by the leading pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts reveals that these price markups are not incidental. According to the report, the price of U.S. brand name medications increased 13.3% between September 2011 and September 2012. However, the rate of inflation during the same time period was only 2%. This means that the cost of brand name drugs increased at six times the rate of inflation within a single year.

These price increases have devastating results for the all too many Americans who simply cannot afford to pay for their medicine. The Common Wealth Fund's Biennial Health Insurance Survey reveals that a staggering 48 million Americans did not fill a prescription due to cost in 2010, while a 2011 study published in the Public Library of Science medical journal reports that 3.4 million Medicare enrollees stop taking their medication due to the coverage gap. Non-adherence of prescribed medicines does not only negatively affect patient health; according to a New England Health Institute report, it also costs the health care system an estimated $290 billion a year.

Fortunately, while the cost of medicine rises in the United States, online pharmacy websites continue to provide access to affordable brand name and generic medications. Learn more about the benefits of international and Canadian online pharmacies at https://www.northwestpharmacy.com/special-features.aspx.