Prescription Drug #Business Is Big and Getting Bigger - The Numbers Guy - WSJ
▻http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/prescription-drug-business-is-big-and-getting-bigger-1336/?mod=e2tw
The health research and analytics firm estimates that global spending on medicines will reach $1.2 trillion in 2017, up from $731 billion in 2007. Here are the top-10 pharmaceutical companies, which will likely take a large cut of that increased spending.
The U.S. alone accounts for about 34% of the world’s spending on medicine, the highest percentage out of any country, according the IMS Health.
According to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the number of prescription drugs the average American uses will also be going up as the median age in the U.S moves higher. The increase is highest among people over 65 years old, but is expected to grow for all age groups. The information is a bit dated, with the most recent numbers coming from 2010, but the data show a trend toward greater prescription drug usage.
