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The number of prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. has increased between 2009 and 2024. In 2009, the number of prescriptions dispensed was nearly **** billion, while in 2024, the number of prescriptions dispensed was around billion. The increase in the number of prescriptions dispensed has a multifactorial origin that includes health care sources, health insurance, and prescription drug benefits. However, the increase in prescription drug usage comes with a price tag, as the price of drugs in the U.S. is also on the rise.

Medication usage

The total number of retail prescriptions filed annually in the United States is expected to also rise significantly by the year 2025. Medication usage varies depending on the population; for example, some data shows that prescription usage increases with age. Likewise, gender influences prescription drug use. Females have a higher rate of prescription drug usage.

Prescription drug costs

The U.S. has some of the highest per capita drug spending in the world. That is largely because the prices of drugs in the U.S. are based solely on what the market can bear, rather than what the actual costs of production are. Personal health care expenditures in the U.S. have more than doubled since 2000. Estimates suggest that the cost of drugs will continue to increase. Estimated U.S. prescribed drug expenditures amounted to *** billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2021.