Levitra

For Navy Cmdr.

Mark A.

Richerson, director of the Defense Department's Pharmacoeconomic Center, patient reaction to this and other drug classes moved on the formulary show the powerful effect of raising copayments.

What we learned, he said, is that copays do change "market share.

Patients will switch." That confirmation is important, Richerson suggested during the TRICARE conference, because getting 6.6 million current users of the military pharmacy benefit to make more cost-effective choices is critical to department plans to lower the trajectory of soaring pharmacy costs.

In fiscal 2005, defense spending on outpatient pharmacy services hit $5.4 billion, up 80 percent in three years.

But at least the rate of growth is trending down, Richerson noted.

In fiscal 2003, outpatient drug costs rose by 27.5 percent.

They rose 21.8 percent in 2004 and 15.5 percent last year.

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