• Wall Street Journal, Friday, April 2, 2010 10:06 AM

Although both the number of prescriptions dispensed (up 2.1%) and the amount spent on them (up 5.1%) both rose last year, the rate of growth was low compared to most years. Jonathan D. Rockoff writes that the results reflect the difficulties that brand-name drug makers face as the popularity of genetics grows in the U.S. market.

The number of prescriptions dispensed for generic drugs rose 5.9% last year while those for branded drugs declined 7.6%. Of all prescriptions that were dispensed, 75% were for generics last year, up from 57% five years earlier, according to IMS Health data.

Sales of brand-name drugs should continue to rise at relatively low rates in the mid-single digits, according to IMS Health svp Murray Aitken. But several top-selling medicines, such as Pfizer's anti- cholesterol drug Lipitor, are scheduled to lose patent protection over the next few years. Antipsychotic medicines were the top-selling class of drugs in the U.S. last year, with sales of $14.6 billion.

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