America's Costliest Drugs

A breakdown:

In 2004, American adults spent $32 billion on cardiovascular drugs, putting them at the top of the five costliest classes of drugs prescribed by doctors for people age 18 and over, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The five costliest classes of drugs combined accounted for two thirds – $119 billion – of the $181 billion total expenditures spent on outpatient prescription medications by adults in the United States in 2004. Hormones were the second-costliest drug class ($25 billion), followed by central nervous system drugs ($24 billion), which can be used to treat pain and control seizures; cholesterol-lowering medications ($22 billion); and anti-depressants and other psychotherapeutic drugs ($18 billion).