Modern Healthcare: Certain specialty pharmacy drugs double in price at hospitals, study finds

By Mari Devereaux

February 16th, 2022

Hospitals, on average, charge double the price for the same drugs sold by specialty pharmacies, according to research from America’s Health Insurance Plans.

Upon analyzing the 10 drugs that amounted to the highest Medicare Part B spend from 2018-2020—and were purchased, stored and administered in a healthcare setting—an AHIP study published Wednesday found that drug treatments given in hospitals were marked up an average of $7,000, when compared to those purchased through specialty pharmacies.

As these drugs typically do not have biosimilars or generics that provide cost competition, specialty pharmacies are responding to a crucial market need to lower drug prices, said Sergio Santiviago, vice president of drug policy at AHIP.

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