BRIEF—US drugmakers already announcing price hikes

More than three dozen drugmakers in the USA began 2019 by raising the cost of hundreds of medicines, according to an analysis from Rx Savings Solutions.

The decision by many companies to introduce modest hikes was overshadowed by a few firms pursuing more aggressive action, according to Rx Saving Solutions, leading to an average increase in drug prices of 6.3%.

The analysis revealed that some of the industry’s biggest price increases were for generic drugs, the cheaper alternatives to branded medicines that account for 90% of prescriptions filled in the USA.

Among generic drugmakers, Hikma Pharmaceuticals is one of the companies with the largest price increases.

Other companies like Allergan set the pace with increases of nearly 10% on more than two dozen products.