The total was nearly $275 million, and you can thank the Medicare Part D benefit, greater use of generics and new treatments for diabetes and cancer, says the data firm.

The total number of prescriptions dispensed to patients grew at a 4.6 percent pace compared with 3.2 percent in 2005. Growth may slow this year, but still remain within a range of 6 percent to 9 percent, on a compounded annual basis, through 2010.

“Legislative attempts to control drug expenditures, the increased influence of payers to drive more cost-effective healthcare, generics competition, and the introduction of new biosimilars will impact U.S. prescription growth over the next five years,” says Diana Conmy, corporate director at IMS Market Insights.

Other facts:
Lipitor was the top seller in the US with sales of $8.6 billion;
Cholesterol was the biggest therapeutic category with sales of $21.6 billion.

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