Fact check: Americans make up 4% of the world's population, but they buy 70% of world's medications.

1. Summary of the results

The original statement claiming that Americans buy 70% of the world's medications is demonstrably false. According to IQVIA Institute's 2023 global medicine use report, the United States actually consumes only about 8% of global prescription drug volumes, specifically 243 billion defined daily doses out of a global total of 3.2 trillion doses ^{[1] [1]}. The actual consumption rate is documented at 7.7% as of 2022 ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual factors are missing from the original statement:

• While U.S. consumption volume is relatively low, Americans account for 42.4% of global pharmaceutical spending ^{[2] [2]}, indicating a significant price disparity
• Approximately 66% of American adults take at least one prescription medication ^{[3] [3]}
• The total U.S. consumption in 2022 was 243 billion defined daily doses ^[1]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement appears to be part of a broader misinformation campaign:

• No credible news reports or data support the 70% consumption claim ^[3]
• The claim is labeled as "unsupportable by any definition or measure" by experts ^[2]
• This type of misinformation could benefit various stakeholders:
• Pharmaceutical companies might benefit from downplaying their pricing practices by focusing on volume rather than spending
• Healthcare reform advocates might use inflated consumption statistics to argue for systemic changes
• Foreign competitors might use such statistics to criticize American healthcare practices

The stark difference between consumption volume (7.7%) and spending (42.4%) suggests that the real issue might be drug pricing in the U.S. rather than consumption rates ^[2].