Key Drug Trends in 2020

Four key drug trends were observed in the use of Medicine in the U.S. May 2021 report by IQVIA Institute.(1)

Chronic condition prescriptions continued to dominate Q4 2020 at almost 80% of all dispensed prescriptions, while acute prescriptions dipped in Q2 2020 due to stay-at-home mandates across the nation.

Newer biosimilars dominate market share at a faster rate compared to older biosimilars. The last three biosimilars—trastuzumab, bevacizumab, rituximab, which launched in 2019, currently take up 57%, 56% and 43% of market share respectively.

Specialty drug spending continues to trend up, accounting for 53% of net manufacturer revenue in 2020. Oncology and autoimmune disorders are the top 2 therapeutic areas responsible for this rise in specialty spending.

Drug spending for autoimmune disorders is projected to exceed $130 billion by 2025. Spending growth slows down to approximately 5% in 2024 and 2025 due to availability of new biosimilars.