Nationally,drug prices increased 3.3 percent just during the first quarter ofthis year, putting the market on pace to increase more than 10percent for the year. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Twenty drug companies announced price hikes for around 40different medications last week. The average price increase forthose drugs was 13.1 percent, according to Rx Savings.

Many of the affected drugs are in high demand from hospitals,which have been under increasing pressure to deal with drug shortages.

In apparent response to a political backlash in recent years againstmajor price increases, some pharma companies have vowed to increaseprices gradually, at no more than 10 percent per year. Even 10percent per year, however, far outpaces inflation or wagegrowth.

Related: 10 drugs topping employers' pharmaspend

Nationally, drug prices increased 3.3 percent just during thefirst quarter of this year. That puts the market on pace toincrease more than 10 percent for the year, but it's still a rateof growth much slower than the first quarter of 2018, when pricesshot up 6.3 percent.

GlaxoSmithKline hiked the cost of Zejula, a medication forovarian cancer, by 5 percent –– to $6,913 for a month supply.Similarly, Amneal increased the price of Unithroid, used forthyroid conditions, by roughly 10 percent.

But there were certainly much higher price hikes announced onMonday. The largest increase came from B. Braun Medical Inc., whichmore than doubled the price of its saline solution to nearly $6 perpackage.

The company attributed the price increase to major investmentsit has made to address a nationwide shortage of intravenoussolutions. Two months ago the company announced it was investing $1billion to boost its manufacturing capacity, including by buildinga new facility in Florida and upgrading its existingfacilities.

Pharmaceutical companies that didn't announce price hikes couldstill do so by the end of July.

Read more: 

• Curbing specialty drug spending: Where tostart?
• Copay accumulator programs leave consumers on thehook for high drug costs
• Majority of Americans support current efforts tobring down drug prices