CMS releases 2015 data on Medicare, Medicaid drug spending

Forty drugs accounted for 69% of Medicare spending for drugs administered in physician and hospital outpatient settings last year, according to an updated dashboard released today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Six of the drugs accounted for more than $1 billion each in Part B spending, CMS said. The dashboard looks at Part B and D drugs with the highest cost increases or spending in 2015. Ten Part D drugs and one Part B drug had price increases of more than 100%. CMS also released a new Medicaid drug spending dashboard, which shows 70 drugs accounted for 41% of program spending on outpatient drugs in 2015. The average cost per unit for five of those drugs increased by more than 400%, CMS said.