Prices for many common prescription drugs skyrocketed in recent years 

More than three-quarters of the 49 most common prescription drugs have experienced an increase in prices since 2012, according to a new analysis. Scientists looked at drugs that had more than 100,000 pharmacy claims and that also exceeded $500 million in U.S. sales or more than $1 billion in sales worldwide. They found that the median price of the drugs went up by 76%; 28 of the drugs increased in price by more than 50%, while a third of the drugs doubled in price. “Our results suggest the costs for popular brand-name drugs would double every 7 to 8 years,” the authors of the analysis write, adding that costs will likely continue to rise unless “bold actions” — such as allowing insurers to negotiate prices or re-examining extensions on patents — are taken.