The federal government has announced that it will hold a public forum to address the growing concern regarding the high costs of prescription drugs. During the forum, which will take place at the Department of Health and Human Services' headquarters Nov. 20, "we will hear from a broad range of stakeholders on opportunities to improve patient access to affordable prescription drugs, develop innovative purchasing strategies and incorporate value-based and outcomes-based models into purchasing programs in both the public and private sectors," the agency said. Announcement
The announcement comes amid a new study that points to a surge in the number of Americans who take prescription drugs. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that among adults 20 and older, overall prescription drug use in the U.S. rose from 51 percent in 1999-2000 to 59 percent in 2011-2012. Study announcement