Senior citizens are in a bind. Most of them have a fixed income but the cost of medical prescriptions keeps increasing faster than wages. They pay a larger percentage of their income for prescription drugs like Simvastatin, Lipitor, Metoprolol, Metformin, Amlodipine, Ibuprofen, and Aspirin.

1. The Rx Solution
The Increasing Cost of
Prescription Drugs

2. Senior citizens are in a bind. Most of them have a fixed income but the cost of medical prescriptions keeps
increasing faster than wages. They pay a larger percentage of their income for prescription drugs like
Simvastatin, Lipitor, Metoprolol, Metformin, Amlodipine, Ibuprofen, and Aspirin.
For all intents and purposes, these maintenance drugs are taken for life and take up a significant amount
of the household budget.
Prescription Drugs for Senior Citizens
Simvastatin, Metformin, and Lipitor are examples of metabolic drugs taken for specific health concerns.
These include drugs for diabetes and for controlling cholesterol. These can take up to 24% of all
medication expenses.
On the average, Medicare beneficiaries spend almost $100 dollars on metabolic drugs. Cardiovascular
drugs help against heart disease and related ailments. These include Metoprolol, Amlodipine, and
Hydrochlorothiazide.
More than 71% of seniors take one or more cardiovascular medication for maintenance purposes.
Ibuprofen and Aspirin are categorized under central nervous system drugs due to their anti-inflammatory
properties.

3. Up to 43% of senior citizens under Medicare use these drugs. Respiratory drugs are for those with asthma
or emphysema. Examples of respiratory drugs include Singular and Fexofenadine. More than 26% of
Medicare beneficiaries suffer from gastrointestinal problems.
They take a variety of medications including Omepraxole and Pantoprezole. These five types of drugs cost
retirees a total of more than $63.4 billion in 2013, which was 68% of their total prescription spending of
$92.8 billion.
Increasing Prices and Its Consequences
Wages increased an average of about 2.5% in 2017. In contrast, the cost of prescription drugs rose 10.9%
in 2016 and 9.9% in 2017. Even the younger members of the population are not exempt from the price
increases. The cost of prescription drugs for those under 65 increased 11.6% in 2017 and 11.3% in 2016.
The cost of prescription drug prices is a significant cause for anxiety even for those with coverage. For
those without coverage or have inadequate ones, they are forced to cope in ways, which can be harmful in
the long run.

4. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), non-adherence to prescriptions can
cause up to 50% of chronic disease treatment failures resulting in an estimated 125,000 deaths annually.
There is a significant non-compliance due to economic reasons. This has a big impact for society as a
whole with a large percentage of the population at risk because the drugs are unaffordable.
Sources:
http://rxsolution.net/
https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/planning-to-retire/2013/07/19/the-5-most-expensive-
prescription-drugs-for-retirees
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/drug-prices-to-rise-12-percent-in-2017/
https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/SpecialFeatures/ucm485545.htm