The Pennsylvania Compensation Rating Bureau (PCRB) published Prescription Drug Trends, analyzing workers’ comp prescription drug use and costs from 2012 to 2022 based on Pennsylvania’s Medical Data Call.

Overall, there has been a noticeable decrease in claims involving a prescription drug. Prescription drug use has steadily declined since 2012 as doctors increasingly favor non-drug treatments like physical therapy.

In 2022, drug costs constituted 10.4% of total expenses in workers’ comp. The average drug cost per claim rose to $1,748 in 2022, after previously experiencing benefits of reform as well as nationwide decreases in prescribing trends starting in 2016. The rise in average drug cost per claim was due to high cost topicals.

In 2022, topicals accounted for 25% of all drug paid amounts. The paid amount for topicals between Q1 2012 and Q4 2022 doubled. When comparing the top 10 dermatological agent drugs and the top 10 non-dermatological drugs in the Pennsylvania workers’ comp system, it was found that the average per unit cost of dermatological drugs was on average 617% higher. Overall, topical agents paid per claim more than quadrupled over the last decade.

Opioids saw a decline in prescriptions, falling from 34% of total drugs paid ($31.1 million) to 13% ($7.7 million). In 2012, 1 in 6 claims received an opioid prescription, but by 2022 only 1 in 20 received an opioid prescription.

Pennsylvania also experienced an increased use of generics, which has led to significant cost savings.