25 October 2018 - The prices charged by drug manufacturers to wholesalers and distributors (commonly referred to as ex- manufacturers prices) in the United States are 1.8 times higher than in other countries for the top drugs by total expenditures separately paid under Medicare Part B. 

U.S. prices were higher for most of the drugs included in the analysis, and U.S. prices were more likely to be the highest prices paid among the countries in our study.

The amount by which U.S. prices exceeded those of international comparators varied significantly by product, and there was no clear pattern as to which countries were consistently paying lower prices. We find these higher U.S. prices mean that the Medicare program pays nearly twice as much as it would pay for the same or similar drugs in other countries.

Read U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report