Anxiety and Depression Medication Prices Have Dropped 18% Since 2014
While fills for depression and anxiety medications are skyrocketing, prices are declining. According to the GoodRx Price Index, the average list price (the price set by the manufacturer) for depression and anxiety medications has dropped by 18% in the last 5 years.
This 18% average decline is largely driven by dropping prices for generic anxiety and depression medications.
List prices for quetiapine ER (the generic version of Seroquel XR, an antipsychotic) and escitalopram (generic Lexapro, an antidepressant) have both dropped by around 40% since 2014.
List prices for both aripiprazole (generic Abilify, an antipsychotic) and duloxetine (generic Cymbalta, an antidepressant) have dropped by at least 69% in the same time period.
This article belongs to a broader analysis of medication prices among 11 condition groups, including anaphylaxis, rheumatoid arthritis, and high cholesterol. Of the 11 groups we looked at in our analysis, anxiety and depression was the only one to see a decline in medication prices. In fact, prices for drugs that treat conditions like anaphylaxis and rheumatoid arthritis have increased by almost 100% since 2014.
Read our breakdown of list price by condition and our full methodology in our white paper here.
To learn more about the medications mentioned in this piece and how to save on them, see our pages on depression and anxiety.
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Co-contributors: Jeroen van Meijgaard, PhD, Diane Li, and Clement B. Feyt, MPH
Methodology:
The Good Rx List Price Index is used to track the evolution of the price of prescription drugs in the United States. This index is based on published list prices as set by the manufacturers of prescription drugs, and the prescription drug mix as dispensed by community retail pharmacies.
While few people actually pay the full list price of a drug, it is a powerful indicator of drug pricing trends as it informs other prices, like the cash price or copay that people pay in pharmacies.
The list price index is calculated daily, taking into account day-to-day changes in list prices and quarterly changes in the prescription drug mix. The list price index starts on December 31, 2013, using the Q4 2013 drug mix and published list prices on December 31, 2013 and ends on August 31, 2019. The index is based on the prescription drug mix as dispensed, so price changes in high-volume and high-cost drugs will have more impact on the index than low-volume and low-cost drugs.
The list price index uses a nationally representative sample of prescription fills from each quarter to estimate the drug mix across all community retail pharmacies for that time period. The drug mix is used to calculate the average price change of all drugs and is updated every quarter.
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