Report: Led by Anti-Inflammatories, Specialty Drugs Continue Upward Trend

Specialty drugs are still taken by only a small percentage of people but represent more than half of total drug costs. Anti-inflammatory specialty therapies continue to be a huge driver of those costs, according to the recently released 2023 Drug Trend Report from PBM analytics firm Xevant. The specialty pipeline remains strong, and payers should expect these agents to continue to affect their costs, says one industry expert.

Based on Xevant’s book of business for 2022 and 2023, the company observed an 11% increase in the number of prescriptions filled for specialty drugs. The plan-paid amounts for those agents rose 19%, slightly less than nonspecialty medications’ 22% plan-paid costs. In addition, the average plan cost per specialty prescription rose from $6,100 in 2022 to $6,700 in 2023.