Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC) Increase Report Data – Current Year
The interactive reports below include submitted WAC increase data from quarter 1 (Q1) 2022 through quarter 3 (Q3) 2022. These graphs display data that shows Median Cumulative WAC Percent Increase by WAC Price Category, Drug Source Type, or Both. The visualizations allow you to filter through the data by quarter.
Note: Reported increases that do not meet the statutory requirements for reporting and prescription drugs that do not meet the definition for reporting under the applicable California Regulations and Section 321(g) of Title 21 of the United States Code were not included in the visualizations. In calendar year 2021, 41 of 985 submitted reports did not meet the statutory requirements. For information on how HCAI created this product visit the CTRx program page.
Median Percent Increase – WAC Price Category
Key Findings
- Through three quarters of 2022, prescription drugs with a WAC less than $250 saw the highest median cumulative WAC percent increase in Quarter 3 (32.6 percent). In addition, prescription drugs with a WAC less than $250 saw the highest overall median cumulative WAC percent increase through 3 quarters of 2022 (26.8 percent).
- Prescription drugs with a WAC greater than $1,000 had median cumulative WAC percent increases less than the yearly median (21.6 percent) through the first 3 quarters of 2022.
Median Cumulative WAC Percent Increase by WAC Price Category (Q1 – Q3 2022)
Median Percent Increase – Drug Source Type
Key Findings
- Single Source Drugs saw the lowest overall median cumulative percent increase through 3 quarters of 2022 (20.9 percent).
- Non-Innovator Multiple Source Drugs saw the highest overall median cumulative WAC percent increase through the first 3 quarters of 2022 (27.9 percent) with Quarter 3 experiencing the largest median cumulative WAC Increase (31.5 percent).
Median Cumulative WAC Percent Increase by Drug Source Type (Q1 – Q3 2022)
Median Percent Increase – WAC Price Category & Drug Source Type
Key Findings
- Single Source Drugs with a WAC less than $250 saw the largest median cumulative WAC percent increase of all categories in Quarter 2 of 2022 (96.5 percent).
- Non-Innovator Multiple Source Drugs with a WAC less than $250 and greater than $10,000 experiences the largest overall median cumulative WAC percent increase through the first 3 quarters of 2022 (32.7 percent). Non-Innovator Multiple Source Drugs with a WAC greater than $10,000 only had reports submitted in Quarter 1 of 2022.
Median Cumulative WAC Percent Increase by WAC Price Category and Drug Source Type (Q1 – Q3 2022)
Notes:
- The 3-year median percent increase is based on submitted WAC increase data.
- The dataset is subject to reporting. The dataset includes only complete reports submitted by manufacturers for WAC increases that were made in Q1 through Q3 2022, not including reports that do not meet the specified minimum thresholds for reporting.
- Manufacturers can submit late reports; any Q1 through Q3 2022 WAC increase reports submitted after January 5 2023, are not included in the data.
- Manufacturers are required to provide the reason(s) for reported WAC increases unless the information is not in the public domain. Approximately 54 percent of Q3 2022 reports did not include any reason(s) for the reported WAC increases due to the information not already being in the public domain.
Data and Resources
Additional Information
Topic: Cost Transparency
Source: Cost Transparency – Prescription Drug (Rx) Costs
Citation: Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), Prescription Drug Cost Transparency, Q1-Q3 2022
Temporal Coverage: January to September 2022
Spatial/Geographic Coverage: Statewide
Frequency: Quarterly