Near 11% increase in Rx drug spending for US children in 2009, with 5% greater usage of medications

In growing numbers, children across America are adding a dose of medicine to their daily routine. In 2009, the drug trend for children - a measure of prescription spending growth - increased 10.8%, driven by a 5% increase in drug utilization and higher medication costs, according to the Medco 2010 Drug Trend Report. The growth in prescription drug use among children was nearly four times higher than the rise seen in the overall population, pharmacy benefits manager Medco noted.

A corresponding analysis of pediatric medication use found that, in 2009, more than one in four insured children in the USA and nearly 3% of adolescents (10-19 year olds) took at least one prescription medication to treat a chronic condition; the most substantial increases were seen in the use of antipsychotic, diabetes and asthma drugs over the past nine years, according to the Medco research.

"While H1N1 caused a spike in antiviral use among children last year, the far more alarming trend since the beginning of the decade is the increasing use of medications taken by children on a regular basis and, in some cases, for conditions that we don't often associate with youth, such as type 2 diabetes," said Robert Epstein, Medco's chief medical officer and president of the Medco Research Institute. "The fact that one-in-three adolescents are being treated for a chronic condition points to the need for additional health education and lifestyle changes that can address the obesity issue that is likely a driving force behind such conditions as type 2 diabetes and even asthma," he added.