ST. LOUIS — Last year marked the first time in at least five years that consumers paid less, on average, for prescription drug copays, according to the 2007 Drug Trend Report released by pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts, here. The average copay dropped 25 cents to $13.20 even as the average total cost of a prescription rose from $55.01 to $55.93. Express Scripts attributed the average copay decrease to greater use of generic drugs. The report said the report that consumers saved an average of $15 per prescription each time they moved from a brand to a generic. "We process more than one million prescriptions every day and 63.7% are now for a generic drug versus 42% in 2002,” said Emily Cox, Express Scripts' senior director of research and lead author of the 2007 Drug Trend Report. “When more generics are used, benefit plan sponsors can control plan costs without shifting these costs to consumers."

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