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More people buying Prescription Drugs to
treat Digestive Conditions
Newswise — The number of Americans buying
prescription drugs to treat digestive
conditions climbed over 50 percent, rising
from 18.1 million to 29 million people
between 1997 and 2007, according to the
latest News and Numbers from the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality.
Total annual spending for these drugs
increased from $7 billion to nearly $19
billion from from 1997 to 2007 ( in 2007
dollars).
Other findings include:
• The proportion of children ages 17 and
younger who had at least one prescription
drug for a digestive condition purchased
rose from 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent. This
trend held true for seniors - increasing
from 18.6 percent to 26.6 percent - and for
18 to 64 year olds - rising from 6.4 percent
to 8.9 percent.
• The total number of prescription drug
purchases for digestive conditions more than
doubled - rising from 77.8 million to 158.4
million.
• The average expense per digestive
prescription drug purchase increased 33
percent - from $90 to $120 (in 2007
dollars).
The estimates do not include
over-the-counter drugs and prescription
drugs administered in inpatient, physician's
office or clinic settings.
AHRQ, which is part of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, improves the
quality, safety, efficiency, and
effectiveness of health care for all
Americans. The data in this AHRQ News and
Numbers summary are taken from the Medical
Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a detailed
source of information on the health services
used by Americans, the frequency with which
they are used, the cost of those services,
and how they are paid.
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