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Pharmaceutical Drugs

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Although pharmaceutical drugs on the whole greatly improve patient outcomes and quality of life when used as prescribed, they are not without their complications. RAND research on pharmaceuticals examines their safety and effectiveness, relevant health economics issues, prescription drug abuse, challenges related to access and adherence, and pharmaceutical regulatory policy.

News Release
Opioid Prescribing Declines, but Cuts Are Not Uniform Across Locations, Age Groups, or Type of Prescriber
The volume of prescription opioids dispensed from retail pharmacies declined by 21 percent from 2008 to 2018, but the decline was not uniform across geographic areas, among types of patients, or by type of prescriber.
Dec 27, 2021
Project
Comparing International Prescription Drug Prices
Prescription drug prices in the United States average 2.56 times those in 32 other nations. In a new animation, information designer Gabrielle Mérite illustrates this subject that may seem distant from American consumers but has a concrete impact on their health and finances.
Dec 14, 2021

Explore Pharmaceutical Drugs

Journal Article
Trends in the Concurrent Prescription of Opioids and Gabapentin in the US, 2006 to 2018
Researchers examined 2006 to 2018 US national deidentified pharmacy claims data and analyzed trends in concurrent gabapentin and opioid prescribing, overall and by prescriber, patient, and county characteristics.
Dec 8, 2022
News Release
Buprenorphine Use Remained Stable During First Year of Pandemic, but New Prescriptions Dropped During Period
The number of active prescriptions for the opioid disorder treatment drug buprenorphine remained constant during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of new prescriptions for the treatment was far below what would normally have been expected.
Dec 7, 2022
Journal Article
Part D Senior Savings Model: Model Reach and Scope
This report describes the reach and scope of Medicare's Part D Senior Savings model, which has lower, fixed cost sharing for a specified set of model drugs.
Nov 9, 2022
Commentary
Medicare Drug Price Negotiation: Key Decisions to Reach a 'Fair Price'
Government negotiation of Medicare drug prices—even for a small set of older, single-source drugs—is a remarkable policy development. But how exactly will the government do it?
Nov 7, 2022
Journal Article
Association Between Hospital-Physician Vertical Integration and Medication Adherence Rates
Increases in vertical integration were not associated with changes in medication adherence rates. However, adherence rates after vertical integration declined for non-Whites, patients over 80 years old, and patients with greater comorbidities.
Oct 28, 2022
Journal Article
Trends in Out-of-Pocket Costs for Naloxone by Drug Brand and Payer in the US, 2010–2018
The findings suggest that the out-of-pocket cost of naloxone has been an increasingly substantial barrier to naloxone access for uninsured patients, a population that constitutes nearly one-fifth of adults with opioid use disorder.
Oct 27, 2022
Journal Article
Changes in Buprenorphine and Methadone Supplies in the US During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This cross-sectional study found that the per capita supply of methadone declined significantly in the second quarter of 2020 and had not returned to 2019 levels as of June 2021. The per capita supply of buprenorphine increased during the same period.
Sep 30, 2022
Journal Article
Development of a Metric to Detect and Decrease Low-Value Prescribing in Older Adults
In this qualitative study of 27 low-value prescribing practices, a panel of experts was convened using an online modified-Delphi approach to develop a scientifically valid and clinically useful low-value prescribing metric.
Sep 21, 2022
Journal Article
Consensus-Based Guidance on Opioid Management in Individuals With Advanced Cancer-Related Pain and Opioid Misuse or Use Disorder
This qualitative study provides consensus-based guidance for clinicians and highlights research and policy gaps that warrant urgent attention to meet the needs of people with cancer-related pain and opioid misuse/use disorder.
Sep 21, 2022
Journal Article
New Prescription Fills of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Los Angeles County, California
The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an initial decrease, followed by a consistent increase in new SSRI fills in L.A. County. These increases in new SSRI fills were primarily among women, 18–39 year-olds, and those under 18.
Sep 9, 2022
Commentary
Improving How Medicines R&D Is Financed Could Support Innovation and Benefits for Patients
Tackling chronic and infectious diseases depends to a large extent on the ability to develop innovative and affordable medicines that are available to patients in need. Policymakers will need to tackle challenges from multiple angles to avoid reducing barriers in one area at the expense of exacerbating challenges in another.
Aug 25, 2022
Journal Article
Estimated Wasteful Spending on Aducanumab Dispensing in the U.S. Medicare Population: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Aducanumab, a weight-dosed Alzheimer's drug, is available in two fixed-dose vial sizes. This may result in large amounts of discarded drug and wasteful spending. More-efficient vial sizes could save Medicare money if the drug is approved for widespread use.
Aug 11, 2022
Journal Article
The Financial Ecosystem of Pharmaceutical R&D: An Evidence Base to Inform Further Dialogue
This study's overarching conclusion is that a drug's expected financial return ultimately determines whether it is developed up to launch.
Jun 24, 2022
Journal Article
Implementation of South Africa's Central Chronic Medicine Dispensing and Distribution Program for HIV Treatment: A Qualitative Evaluation
Participants had highly favorable attitudes about the Chronic Care and Medicine Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD) program for HIV treatment. Patient-level barriers to care included inadequate education about CCMDD and inability to get refills. Organizational-level barriers included challenges with communication and transportation, errors in medication packaging and tracking, rigid rules, and inadequate infrastructure.
Jun 23, 2022
Report
RAND Technical Expert Panel Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Contract Star Ratings, February 7, 2022 Meeting
On February 7, 2022, the RAND Corporation convened a Technical Expert Panel web meeting to gather input about the potential development of a measure to capture value-based care arrangements Medicare Advantage organizations have with their contracted providers.
Jun 17, 2022
Journal Article
Opioid Use Disorder Among Clients of Community Mental Health Clinics: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Treatment Willingness
The authors examined the prevalence of co-occurring opioid use disorder and willingness to engage in treatment among clients of eight Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health outpatient clinics.
Jun 1, 2022
Journal Article
Estimating the Cost of Industry Investment in Drug Research and Development: A Review of Methods and Results
We review and synthesize papers estimating drug R&D costs incurred by industry. We find a substantial range of per-drug costs, from $113 million–$6 billion. We discuss the data sources, methods, and assumptions used in each study and suggest areas for future research and data collection.
Apr 22, 2022
Journal Article
Beyond State Scope of Practice Laws for Advanced Practitioners: Additional Supervision Requirements for Buprenorphine Prescribing
This study of state laws governing buprenorphine prescribing found that these vary; nurse practitioner and physician assistant supervision should include state non-scope of practice laws.
Mar 31, 2022
Journal Article
Assessment of Postoperative Opioid Prescriptions Before and After Implementation of a Mandatory Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
In this study of adult patients who received a postoperative prescription for opioid medication, mandatory consultation with EHR-based alerts was associated with decreases in prescription quantities.
Mar 29, 2022
Journal Article
Comparison of Hospital Claims and Poison Center Data to Evaluate Health Impact of Opioids, Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabinoids
This study demonstrates the differences in surveillance methodology for concurrent drug abuse epidemics using hospital claims and PC data. Both systems provide incomplete reports, but in combination can provide a more complete picture.
Mar 4, 2022

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RAND Topic:
Pharmaceutical Drugs

Topic Synonyms:
Medicinal Drugs

Research conducted by

RAND Health Care