Week in Review: The Latest from PhRMA

GAO: Prescription Drugs Are Just 2% of Medicaid Spending: The Government Accountability Office reported that fee-for-service drugs accounted for only 1.7 percent of Medicaid expenditures in 2014. Prescription medicines represent a small share of Medicaid spending and are not a main driver of Medicaid spending growth. Find out more here.

The Future of Clinical Pathways: With appropriate use, clinical pathways can improve patient outcomes, but the future is uncertain. As providers and payers increasingly utilize clinical pathways, it is important that these pathways serve as a resource for clinicians and not a restriction on the care patients receive. Check it out here.

Prescription Drug Prices Fall Significantly Over Time: Biopharmaceutical companies invest in innovative research to bring new treatments to patients, and over time those medicines become available as lower-cost generic copies. Learn about the impact of generics here.

Health Care Policy Developments: Learn about recent legislative and legal action that seeks to improve both patient care and the efficiency of the US healthcare system here.

Medicare Monday: Did you know four out of five Part D prescriptions are generic? Since Part D’s implementation, generic utilization reached 84 percent in 2013. Learn more here.