Me-too drugs drive the rise in drug expenditure

BMJ 2005;331 (8 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7520.0-b


Drug expenditure in the Canadian province of British Columbia doubled between 1996 and 2003, and 80% of this increase was due to me-too drugs (drugs that don't offer substantial improvements over less expensive alternatives). Morgan and colleagues (p 815) analysed the use of prescription drugs and expenditure per capita by the Canadian Patented Medicine Prices Review Board's product classification, which distinguishes between breakthrough drugs (the first to treat effectively a particular illness or provide a substantial improvement over existing drugs) and me-too drugs. Me-too drugs probably dominate spending trends in most developed countries, say the authors.