WASHINGTON - Marylanders continue to spend more on prescription drugs compared to their national counterparts, despite the state's lower overall health care spending, according to an analysis of state and national health care expenditure data.

Each Marylander spent about $1,000 for prescription drugs in 2007, 33 percent more than the national average of about $750. The state's per capita spending on health care was about $6,400, 14 percent lower than the national average of about $7,500.

However, both statewide and nationally, the share of the prescription drug costs in total health care spending has remained roughly...