Methylprednisolone vs Hydrocortisone — Cost, Coverage & Plan Comparison

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Up to 4 drugsCross-class or same-class

Start with the molecules your plan spends the most on. Most useful comparisons live within the same therapeutic class — switching across classes requires deeper clinical review.

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Federal data onlyNo PBM pricing assumed

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11 dimensions

Corticosteroid

Methylprednisolone

Brand: DEPO-MEDROL

First FDA approval: 1957-10-24

Corticosteroid

Hydrocortisone

Brand: ANUCORT-HC

First FDA approval: 1952-12-15

Lowest NADACAcquisition cost floor across all NDCs

$0.116Per unit

$0.064Per unit

Average NADACAcross all dosage forms and strengths

$3.85Up to $13.05

$0.872Up to $30.68

Generic manufacturersActive ANDA holders — FDA Orange Book

1652 total ANDAs filed

2446 total ANDAs filed

Annualized Part D spendCY2024 — CMS Part D Spending Dashboard

$64.4MFull year

$93.8MFull year

Part D claims (CY24)Total fills, all strengths

9.0M7.1M beneficiaries

4.5M2.5M beneficiaries

Avg cost per claimCalculated: total spend ÷ total claims

$7Per claim, all NDCs

$21Per claim, all NDCs

Part D plans surveyed2026 plan year — CMS Formulary file

329Across CMS plan year

Prior-authorization frictionPlan-NDC pairs requiring PA

552Substantial friction

0Zero PA friction

Step therapy appliedPlan-NDC pairs requiring step therapy

0None

FDA shortage statusLive cross-reference vs FDA Drug Shortage Database

Active shortageSee drug profile

NoneSee drug profile

Generic availableFDA Orange Book

Yes16 manufacturers

Yes24 manufacturers