Inside STAT: High cost isn’t America’s only drug problem — so is overprescribing

JULIO CORTEZ/AP

When people talk about the drug industry in the U.S., high prices often dominate the conversation. But a new report from the Lown Institute says overprescribing is an overlooked issue. Between 2000 and 2012, the proportion of adults taking five or more medications nearly doubled, from 8% to 15%. And Americans over the age of 65 — more than 40% of whom take five or more medications — are particularly vulnerable to harm from overprescribing, including adverse drug events. Taking too many medicines “not only adds to the cost of drugs but also harms millions of Americans each year,” the report’s authors write in a new First Opinion for STAT.