Drug Spend Drops 3.3% in 2017; Compound Spending Slashed

Workers’ comp drug spending fell by 3.3% last year, following a 7.6% reduction in 2016, and spending on compounded medications plummeted by 37.1% in 2017, according to an Express Scripts drug trend report released on Tuesday. Last year was the third year in a row that spending on compounds decreased, and the custom-formulated medications have now fallen from Express Scripts’ top 10 therapy classes. Express Scripts also reported that spending on opioids dropped 11.9% for workers' compensation payers in 2017. “Opioids continue to be the most expensive and highly utilized ...