Sales from controversial U.S. drug discount program rose to $100 billion last year

Prescription medicines purchased in the U.S. under a controversial government discount program amounted to $100 billion in 2025, a 22.8% increase from the previous year, according to the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration, which oversees the program. Expensive medicines represented an increasing proportion of spending in the 340B Drug Discount Program, accounting for $61.9 billion, or nearly 62% of all prescription drugs purchased through the program. Nearly $8.9 billion was spent on Merck’s Keytruda immunotherapy treatment, followed by more than $4.47 billion on Biktarvy, an HIV medicine sold by Gilead Sciences. The data mark a steady rise in sales…

Expensive medicines represented an increasing proportion of spending in the 340B Drug Discount Program, accounting for $61.9 billion, or nearly 62% of all prescription drugs purchased through the program. Nearly $8.9 billion was spent on Merck’s Keytruda immunotherapy treatment, followed by more than $4.47 billion on Biktarvy, an HIV medicine sold by Gilead Sciences.

The data mark a steady rise in sales under the 340B program, which requires drugmakers to offer discounts that are typically estimated to be 25% to 50% — but could be higher — off all outpatient drugs to hospitals and clinics that primarily serve lower-income patients.

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