Prices for brand-name prescription drugs increased by 7.1% – 2.5 times the general inflation rate of 2.7% – between 2003 and 2004

Prices for brand-name prescription drugs increased by 7.1% – 2.5 times the general inflation rate of 2.7% – between 2003 and 2004

Prices for generic medications increased by only 0.5% during the same period. For many common diseases (like sinusitis and hypertension), there should be no reason why generics cannot be used.