Expenditures and Frequency of Prescribing for the 15 Most Expensive Drugs in the North Carolina Medicaid Program, 1998–2000
| Number of Units Dispensed per Person-year | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generic Name | Trade Name | 2000 Expenditures, $ (in millions) | Change in Expenditures 1998–2000, $ (in millions) | Change in Expenditures as Percent of Total Increase 1998–2000 | Cumulative Percent of Total Increase in Expenditures 1998–2000 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
| Omeprazole | Prilosec | 36.2 | 15.9 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 8.4 | 9.9 |
| Olanzapine | Zyprexa | 28.4 | 15.4 | 5.3 | 10.8 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.6 |
| Risperidone | Risperdal | 20.8 | 8.8 | 3.0 | 13.9 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 6.6 |
| Lansoprazole | Prevacid | 20.4 | 14.8 | 5.1 | 19.0 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 5.9 |
| Celecoxib | Celebrex | 13.0 | 13.0 | 4.5 | 23.6 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 7.0 |
| Loratadine | Claritin | 12.4 | 6.0 | 2.1 | 25.6 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 5.8 |
| Fluoxetine | Prozac | 11.3 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 26.8 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
| Valproic acid | Depakote | 10.6 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 28.2 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 6.7 |
| Amlodipine | Norvasc | 10.6 | 4.4 | 1.5 | 29.7 | 8.5 | 10.0 | 10.9 |
| Paroxetine | Paxil | 10.1 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 31.0 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.5 |
| Sertraline | Zoloft | 10.1 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 32.2 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| Ranitidine | Zantac | 9.8 | −3.6 | −1.3 | 30.9 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 4.4 |
| Atorvastatin | Lipitor | 9.7 | 7.1 | 2.5 | 33.4 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 8.2 |
| Gabapentin | Neurontin | 9.1 | 5.8 | 2.0 | 35.4 | 3.8 | 5.9 | 9.1 |
| Metformin | Glucophage | 7.5 | 4.6 | 1.6 | 38.0 | 5.6 | 7.8 | 10.4 |