10 prescription drugs Medicare spent most on in 2020: AARP

In 2020, Medicare spent the most on Eliquis, with more than 2.6 million Medicare Part D enrollees taking the blood thinner at a cost of nearly $10 billion, according to data released March 8 by AARP.

The average list price for the 75 brand-name drugs Medicare spends the most on increased 5.2 percent in January 2022, according to AARP.  

"Brand-name drug prices have grown faster than general inflation for over a decade, causing an increasing number of patients to go without necessary medications," AARP researchers said. "Medicare beneficiaries, who have a median annual income of just under $30,000, take an average of four to five prescription drugs every month, and public opinion surveys consistently have found that many skip doses or don't refill their prescriptions because of the cost."

AARP's current Fair Rx Prices Now campaign urges lawmakers to allow Medicare to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers, impose tax penalties on drugmakers that raise prices more than inflation and cap Part D out-of-pocket costs.

Here are the 10 drugs Medicare spent the most money on in 2020 and whose prices increased in January 2022: 

1. Eliquis

Use: Blood thinner for people with atrial fibrillation  

2020 Medicare spending: $9.9 billion

Number of beneficiaries: 2,641,941

2022 price increase: 6 percent

2. Revlimid

Use: Cancer treatment

2020 Medicare spending: $5.4 billion

Beneficiaries: 43,747

2022 price increase: 4.5 percent

3. Xarelto

Use: Blood thinner for people with atrial fibrillation  

2020 Medicare spending: $4.7 billion

Beneficiaries: 1,184,718

2022 price increase: 4.9 percent

4. Januvia

Use: Diabetes treatment

2020 Medicare spending: $3.9 billion

Beneficiaries: 934,686

2022 price increase: 5 percent

5. Trulicity

Use: Diabetes treatment

2020 Medicare spending: $3.3 billion

Beneficiaries: 497,327

2022 price increase: 5 percent

6. Imbruvica

Use: Cancer treatment

2020 Medicare spending: $3 billion

Beneficiaries: 26,847

2022 price increase: 7.4 percent

7. Jardiance

Use: Diabetes treatment

2020 Medicare spending: $2.4 billion

Beneficiaries: 594,859

2022 price increase: 4 percent

8. Humira (Cf) pen

Use: Rheumatoid arthritis, plaque psoriasis treatment

2020 Medicare spending: $2.2 billion

Beneficiaries: 42,406

2022 price increase: 7.4 percent

9. Ibrance

Use: Cancer treatment

2020 Medicare spending: $2.1 billion

Beneficiaries: 21,394

2022 price increase: 6.9 percent

10. Symbicort

Use: Asthma treatment

2020 Medicare spending: $2 billion

Beneficiaries: 1,017,530

2022 price increase: 2 percent

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