Changes in nationwide Medicare and Medicaid expenditures on lipid-lowering therapies after proprotein convertase/subtilisin type 9 inhibitor availability

Trends in Use and Expenditures for Brand-name Statins After Introduction of Generic Statins in the US, 2002-2018

“…Generic competition has had different impacts across payers, some of which are able to negotiate prices . The current study found that generic entry was associated with a 98.6% reduction in Medicare spending on statins, which is higher than that estimated in prior studies . Crestor was among the top 3 most costly drugs for Medicare Part D in 2015, costing the program $3 billion, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data .…”

“… 29 The current study found that generic entry was associated with a 98.6% reduction in Medicare spending on statins, which is higher than that estimated in prior studies. 30 , 31 Crestor was among the top 3 most costly drugs for Medicare Part D in 2015, costing the program $3 billion, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data. 11 The period with 1 brand and 1 generic competitor was associated with an 85.5% decrease in Medicare’s Crestor spending, a finding consistent with other independent estimates.…”

“…11 The period with 1 brand and 1 generic competitor was associated with an 85.5% decrease in Medicare’s Crestor spending, a finding consistent with other independent estimates. 31 With additional generic entry, expenditures declined another 7.6%. Medicare’s relatively high savings after generic statin availability is partially due to the relatively high price that the program was paying for brand-name statins.…”

“…For instance, the introduction of ezetimibe and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PSCK9) inhibitors as adjuvant therapy has shown promising treatment benefits when compared with statin monotherapy. 31 , 44 , 45 Nevertheless, their effect on expenditures of brand-name and generic statins is not fully understood. The clinical use of such agents remains limited given their current high cost.…”

“…shown promising treatment benefits when compared with statin monotherapy. 31,44,45 Nevertheless, their effect on expenditures of brand-name and generic statins is not fully understood. The clinical use of such agents remains limited given their current high cost.…”