Prescription Drugs & Other Medical Products

This posting includes a report prepared by the RAND Corporation, “State All Payer Claims Databases Understanding the Current Landscape and Challenges to Use,” which builds on a 2021 report “The History, Promise and Challenges of State All Payer Claims Databases.” The new report provides additional detail on the objectives of and use cases for APCDs, the current APCD landscape, and implementati

Prescriptions dispensed for antipsychotics in nursing homes and assisted living facilities increased since the beginning of the pandemic, with 20.8 thousand dispensed in 2020 compared to 20.5 thousand in 2019. This represents a 1.5% increase in total prescriptions since the beginning of the pandemic despite lower resident census levels in long-term care facilities (LTCFs).

The purpose of this study was to estimate the cost of generic drug development and approval. This study develops an analytical framework for examining the expected net present value (ENPV) (i.e., the difference between the present value of expected revenues over product life and cost of product development and approval) to a generic drug developer in different size drug markets.

This report aims to address the treatment care models for pregnant and postpartum women with SUD by describing opportunities to integrate OB/GYN and SUD care as well as barriers to integrated care delivery.

This brief highlights specific policy challenges and opportunities for policymakers to expand access to integrated services for pregnant and postpartum women with SUD.

More than 5 million Medicare beneficiaries struggle to afford prescription medications. Among adults 65 and older, Black and Latino beneficiaries are most likely to experience affordability problems. Medicare beneficiaries with lower incomes and those under age 65 also had above-average rates of not taking needed medications due to cost.

From 1999 through 2019, there were more than 840,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States. The crisis has continually evolved and escalated, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, when an estimated 93,000 persons lost their lives to drug overdose in 2020--approximately a 30% increase over the year prior.

Many stakeholders and steps are involved in the life cycle of a prescription drug as it moves from chemical synthesis and formulation through dispensing or administration to patients. The specific steps involved in prescription drug supply chains often differ depending on the type of drug, the channel of distribution, and the patient’s source of prescription drug coverage.

This report provides an introduction to the supply chain for COVID-19 relevant medical devices and related challenges faced in ramping up their production during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drug shortages are a persistent public health problem in the United States and in other countries. Shortages can have important implications for the health care systems and pharmacies that purchase, store, and dispense drugs and for the patients who rely on the availability of drugs to treat and prevent disease.