Amid all this calamity, the pharma companies last month raised drug prices by an average that’s more than three time the cost of living increase. In fact, according to Reuters, citing data from the research firm 3 Axis Advisors, the industry raised prices on more drugs in January than in any other month during the past three years. The prices of 619 branded drugs, those that are patent protected, rose by an average of 5.2%. Prices on some of the best-selling brands were raised even more. Humira, the world’s top-selling drug, received a price hike of 7.4%.
