The average price increase at year start was about about 4.5%. That represents a slightly slower pace compared with the five prior years, when drug prices rose about 5% each year.
The government has agreed to drop its appeal of a D.C. federal district court decision permitting the use of copay accumulator adjustment programs to help patients pay for their medicines.
Marijuana has a lower potential for abuse than other drugs that are subjected to the same restrictions, with scientific support for its use as a medical treatment, the FDA says.