How US Patients Are Using, Spending on Prescription Drugs
With the company’s dedication to providing crucial data for pharmacy stakeholders, IQVIA’s Lead Research Director Michael Kleinrock discussed the current trends in patients’ medication use.
Similar to trends pharmaceutical market experts have observed for quite some time, the biggest drivers in medication spending are rarer, specialty drugs reserved for small subsets of the US population. However, immunology, weight-loss, diabetes, and other drugs are on the rise in use, forcing the pharmacy industry to take notice.
“When we're looking at what pharmacists or others might be interested in, we are really wondering—with over 330 million people, with an aging population, with a pandemic in the last 5 years, with a number of new medicines and shifts in available treatment modalities—what's changing, what's the same, what are the trends?” Michael Kleinrock, lead research director at IQVIA, told Drug Topics. “Keeping that macro perspective, that overview, on a market this complex really helps you then dive into specific topics you're interested in.”
By exploring the current drivers in medication use and spending, the research teams at IQVIA are constantly working to present how these trends impact public health, pharmacy sustainability, federal and state legislation, and overall drug market dynamics.
Listen here for our full conversation with Kleinrock, who provided expert insights into his team’s Understanding the Use of Medicines in the US 2025 report.
Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes on Over the Counter every Thursday afternoon. Check out our previous episode with Diana Isaacs, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, BC-ADM, CDCES. She discussed the importance of insulin management and how advancements in diabetes technology are improving patient outcomes in real time.
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Reference
Understanding the use of medicines in the U.S. 2025. IQVIA. 2025. Accessed July 14, 2025. https://www.iqvia.com/insights/the-iqvia-institute/reports-and-publications/reports/understanding-the-use-of-medicines-in-the-us-2025
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