Topical drugs, NSAIDs continue to climb in comp: report

While overall prescription drug costs per claim in workers compensation continued to dip in 2023, topical medications and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are top cost-drivers, according to a study released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.

In examining costs in 28 states, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based institute found that as opioid alternatives, topical medications costs represented 22% and NSAIDs represented 18% of the drug spend for injured workers in the median states in the first quarter of 2023. The states make up about 75% of the comp drug spend in the country, WCRI has said.

Nearly half of the states studied saw increases in topical medications of 30% or more of the drug spend. Five states — Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Vermont — saw more than 45% of the drug spend allocated to such medications.   

The share of prescription drugs for migraine medications accounted for 7% to 15% of the spend across the 28 states; anticonvulsants and musculoskeletal agents accounted for 9%.

Opioids continued to drop to just under 5%, a downward trend that researchers have said has led to an increase in alternatives for pain management.