The cost of brand name drugs keeps rising – and Medicare is footing the bill

April 8, 2022

Check out the 10 cost-drivers:

Inflation is rising, but the cost of something is rising even faster – brand name drugs. According to AARP, this has been going on for more than a decade.

In fact, the cost of 75 of the 100 brand-name drugs Medicare spends the most money on was raised in January; the average was 5.2%.

AARP took a look at the 10 drugs Medicare spent the most money on in 2020 and whose prices went up in January 2022:

1. Eliquis

  • Use: A blood thinner for people with atrial fibrillation (A-fib)
  • Medicare spending in 2020: $9.9 billion
  • January 2022 price increase: 6 percent

2. Revlimid

  • Use: To treat cancer
  • Medicare spending in 2020: $5.4 billion
  • January 2022 price increase: 4.5 percent

3. Xarelto

  • Use: A blood thinner for people with atrial fibrillation (A-fib)
  • Medicare spending in 2020: $4.7 billion
  • January 2022 price increase: 4.9 percent

4. Januvia

  • Use: To treat diabetes
  • Medicare spending in 2020: $3.9 billion
  • January 2022 price increase: 5 percent

5. Trulicity

  • Use: To treat diabetes
  • Medicare spending in 2020: $3.3 billion
  • January 2022 price increase: 5 percent

6. Imbruvica

  • Use: To treat cancer
  • Medicare spending in 2020: $3 billion
  • January 2022 price increase: 7.4 percent

7. Jardiance

  • Use: To treat diabetes
  • Medicare spending in 2020: $2.4 billion
  • January 2022 price increase: 4 percent

8. Humira (Cf) pen

  • Use: To treat rheumatoid arthritis, plaque psoriasis
  • Medicare spending in 2020: $2.2 billion
  • January 2022 price increase: 7.4 percent

9. Ibrance

  • Use: To treat cancer
  • Medicare spending in 2020: $2.1 billion
  • January 2022 price increase: 6.9 percent

10. Symbicort

  • Use: To treat asthma
  • Medicare spending in 2020: $2 billion
  • January 2022 price increase: 2 percent