Prescription Drug Wholesale Acquisition Cost Increases Since 2019

Manufacturer reports submitted to the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) for prescription drug wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) increases exceeding a 16% threshold. Each report contains 27 data elements across two linked datasets, covering the current increase and a five-year history. Data includes National Drug Codes (NDC), reasons for increases, and effective dates.

Use Cases

• Analyze the frequency and magnitude of WAC increases for specific National Drug Codes (NDC) over the five-year history.
• Identify common narrative descriptions for the reasons behind price increases exceeding the statutory threshold.
• Link current WAC increase reports with their corresponding five-year history data to model price trend drivers.
• Assess manufacturer reporting compliance by comparing effective dates of increases to report submission timelines.

Strengths

• Reports are mandated by California statute (SB-17) and submitted directly by prescription drug manufacturers.
• Data includes a five-year history of WAC increases for each reported National Drug Code (NDC).
• Each report is structured with 27 defined data elements, providing detailed information on price changes.

Limitations

• The dataset may include reports that do not meet the statutory minimum thresholds for reporting, requiring filtering.
• Data is specific to California's reporting program and may not represent national or global drug pricing trends.
• Key details like total row count, column names, and sample data are not provided in the input metadata.

Provenance

Source

State of California, Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI).

Collection Method

Mandatory submissions from prescription drug manufacturers under California's SB-17 price transparency law.

Time Range

Reports received since January 1, 2019.

Freshness

Data includes reports received since January 1, 2019, with the platform entry last updated on February 23, 2026.

Geography

Prescription drugs sold in the state of California.