The U.S.’s total drug spending grew 7.7% to $576.9 billion in 2021 and is projected to increase somewhere between 4% and 6% in the year to come, according to a recent report from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).
Nonfederal hospitals made up about $39.6 billion of that total, representing an 8.4% increase over the prior year, according to the study. In 2022, the sector is expected to increase its drug spending by another 7% to 9%.
Clinics, meanwhile, were responsible for $105 million of last year’s drug spending, a 7.7% increase over 2020, according to the group. Their spending is projected to grow by another 3% to 5% nationwide.
