The IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science has released a report on the global use of medicines, with a focus on the outlook for spending through 2026. The largest driver of medicine spending over the next five years is expected to be COVID-19 vaccinations, which are unprecedented in terms of both the number of people being inoculated and the speed with which it is expected to be achieved. Even without the pandemic, global spending on medicines continues to be driven by innovation and offset by losses of exclusivity and the lower costs of generics and biosimilars. The report provides a quantitative analysis of the impact of these dynamics and examines spending and usage of medicines in 2021 and the outlook to 2026, globally and for specific therapy areas and countries. The report aims to provide a foundation for meaningful discussion about the value, cost, and role of medicines.
