BRAND DRUGMAKERS RAISED PRICES ON 250 DRUGS THIS SUMMER

The following information was released by the America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP):

by AHIP

With healthcare affordability a top voter concern across the political spectrum, brand drugmakers raised list prices on nearly 250 prescription drugs in just three months.

By The Numbers: Brand drugmakers announced 28 price hikes in June, 216 in July and four more in August pushing the 2026 year-to-date count to 1,284 brand name drugs that have gotten more expensive.

The typical price increase outpaced broader inflation, with some weeks seeing median price hikes as high as six percent.

The Bigger Picture: Americans paid a staggering $915 billion for prescription drugs last year, and 2026 spending is projected to approach $1 trillion.

Prescription drugs already consume more than 24 cents of every premium dollar in the commercial market more than any other individual category and patients and employers pay for these costs in the form of higher premiums.

A Blank Check to Keep Overcharging Americans: Drugmakers claim their high U.S. prices fund innovation, but their own financial reports demonstrate that record-high prices and spending by Americans translates into average annual profit margins of 23.2%, an outlier in healthcare.

The same brand drugmakers charge much lower prices in other countries, forcing Americans to pay the world's highest prices for prescription drugs.

Record Prices, Record Drugmaker Profits: This summer's price hikes are part of a consistent playbook by brand drugmakers: set and repeatedly raise record prices, block competition, drive up demand and take record profits.

Brand drugmakers pair millions in direct payments to physicians with billions in tax-deductible advertising to boost prescribing of their costliest products, while patent thickets block generic and biosimilar competition.

Common-Sense Policy Solutions Are Needed: Restoring competition in the prescription drug market means lower prices for Americans. Accelerating access to generics and biosimilars could generate $422.9 billion in savings easing a cost burden for consumers.

Health plans work every day to shield Americans from the full impact of high and rising drug costs, but common-sense policy solutions are needed to rein in brand drugmakers' constant price hikes and anti-competitive tactics to bring prices down.