Posted by Michael Wonder on 30 Jan 2017
Merck will release average drug price increases to ‘provide greater transparency’
27 January 2017 - Average list prices increased by 9.6%, with an average net price increase of 5.5%, the drugmaker said.
Merck & Co. is the latest drug company to offer more detail about its U.S. pricing practices amid widespread criticism of the pharmaceutical industry’s price increases in recent years.
The company is slated to release figures on its website Friday showing the average list-price increase across Merck’s MRK, +0.90% brand-name drugs and vaccines ranged from 7.4% in 2010 to a peak of 10.5% in 2014. The average increase in its net prices, which reflects the discounts the company gives insurers, ranged from 3.4% in 2010 to a peak of 6.2% in 2012, the company said.
Last year, Merck raised list prices by an average of 9.6%, with an average net price increase of 5.5%.
