---
title: "Prescription Drug CPI"
slug: prescription-drug-cpi
summary: "Over the 12 months to September 2026, prescription drug prices in the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index went down 4.5%."
category: "Prices"
unit: percent
frequency: monthly
direction: higher_is_worse
latest_value: -4.47942697075456
latest_period: "2026-09"
trend: unknown
trend_suppressed: "rate_of_change_series"
last_updated: "2026-10-14T00:00:00Z"
source: "U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics"
measurement_basis: "Year-over-year percent change in the BLS prescription drug CPI, series CUSR0000SEMF01. BLS has published prescription drugs as not seasonally adjusted since its 2022 review, and this series' values equal the unadjusted index from January 2017; earlier values are seasonally adjusted."
source_url: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SEMF01
canonical_html: https://americandefault.org/indicators/prescription-drug-cpi/
citation_apa: "Kilburn, R. (2026). Prescription Drug CPI [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/prescription-drug-cpi/"
citation_chicago: "Kilburn, Ross. 2026. \"Prescription Drug CPI.\" American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/prescription-drug-cpi/."
citation_mla: "Kilburn, Ross. \"Prescription Drug CPI.\" American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/prescription-drug-cpi/."
---

# Prescription Drug CPI

> Over the 12 months to September 2026, prescription drug prices in the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index went down 4.5%.

## Current Reading

As of September 2026, Prescription Drug CPI is **-4.48%**.

## What Changed

- Prices of filled prescriptions were 4.5% lower than a year earlier in September 2026, down from a 12-month change of 1.7% in September 2025.
- The 12-month change was -2.9% a month earlier, in August 2026.
- The lowest 12-month change in our series, which starts in 2001.

## Recent Values

| Period | Value |
|--------|-------|
| 2026-09 | -4.48% |
| 2026-08 | -2.95% |
| 2026-07 | -3.06% |
| 2026-06 | -2.5% |
| 2026-05 | -2.02% |
| 2026-04 | -0.52% |
| 2026-03 | -0.18% |
| 2026-02 | -0.7% |
| 2026-01 | -0.53% |
| 2025-12 | 1.95% |
| 2025-11 | 1.86% |
| 2025-09 | 1.71% |

## Historical Context

- Peak since 2001: **7.11%** in October 2016
- Low since 2001: **-4.48%** in September 2026
- Pre-pandemic average (2015-01 – 2019-12): **2.85%**
- Post-pandemic average (2020-01 – 2024-12): **1.14%**

## Methodology

This indicator carries monthly observations and is interpreted as higher values indicate worse household conditions. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Measurement basis: Year-over-year percent change in the BLS prescription drug CPI, series CUSR0000SEMF01. BLS has published prescription drugs as not seasonally adjusted since its 2022 review, and this series' values equal the unadjusted index from January 2017; earlier values are seasonally adjusted.
Automation: collected automatically on the daily refresh pipeline, with no hand entry.

## Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — [https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SEMF01](https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SEMF01)

Data retrieved: 2026-10-14T00:00:00Z

## Related Indicators

- [medical-care-cpi](https://americandefault.org/indicators/medical-care-cpi/)

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

- HTML page: https://americandefault.org/indicators/prescription-drug-cpi/
- JSON: https://americandefault.org/api/indicators/prescription-drug-cpi.json
- CSV: https://americandefault.org/api/downloads/prescription-drug-cpi.csv
- BibTeX: https://americandefault.org/citations/prescription-drug-cpi.bib
- RIS: https://americandefault.org/citations/prescription-drug-cpi.ris

## Citation

**APA 7th**

    Kilburn, R. (2026). Prescription Drug CPI [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/prescription-drug-cpi/

**Chicago (author-date)**

    Kilburn, Ross. 2026. "Prescription Drug CPI." American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/prescription-drug-cpi/.

**MLA 9th**

    Kilburn, Ross. "Prescription Drug CPI." American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/prescription-drug-cpi/.

Use **American Default Research** as the institutional name in source lists, bibliographies, and press citations. **American Default** is the brand and URL form. **American Distress Index (ADI)** is the product name for the national composite score.