Prescriptions to Profits

P-P-Is have turned into blockbuster drugs for the companies that make them. The heartburn pills are among the most profitable medicines on the market. Prescription and over-the-counter versions account for $10 billion a year in sales. But as many as 14 in 20 people taking PPIs may get no benefit from the drugs. That could mean that only about $3.4 billion of the sales are from people who actually need these heartburn medicines. While other people are spending $6.6 billion on drugs that simply aren’t meant for them.