Ailing Drug Industry

Strange as it sounds the drug industry is sick. You see the number of prescriptions dispensed by pharmacies in America is growing at the slowest rate in a decade. Consumers are being squeezed by an ailing economy and it shows.

In May namebrand medicines were less than 31% of prescriptions, down from nearly 46% in 2003. The health care industry has always thought it was immune to economic conditions but the current results are clearly show otherwise.

The cause of the problem is that more of the cost burden is being shouldered by consumers. In 2000 the average co-pay was $15 but in 2007 it had risen to $25, a 67%increase. Insurance premiums were $3,281 last year, up 84% from 2001. It's an attempt to control the $2 trillion health care system in America.

As I've said before, all of this is actually good news for people interested in real health because it's forcing them to consider new, non-drug alternatives. The world of complementary and alterantive medicine offers hundreds of incredible therapies to help everyone find better health. The easiest way to start is to read the award-winning book UnBreak Your Health - The Complete Guide to Complementary & Alternative Therapies (Loving Healing Press 2007).