In a first look at pharmacy trends in public health insurance exchange plans, use of specialty medications was greater among exchange enrollees versus patients enrolled in a commercial health plan, according to new research released by Express Scripts.
In total spend, six of the top 10 costliest medications used by public exchange enrollees have been specialty drugs. In commercial health plans, only four of the top 10 costliest medications were specialty. Approximately 1.1% of total prescriptions in public exchange plans were for specialty medications, compared to 0.75% in commercial health plans. Despite comprising less than 1% of all U.S. prescriptions, specialty medications now account for more than a quarter of the countrys total pharmacy spend.
