Manufacturer prices for the most commonly prescribed drugs to people 50 and older increased by an average of 6.3% during the 12-month period ending in June, according to a recently released AARP survey. This rise significantly outpaced the 3.8% inflation rate.

Costs for these 193 drugs jumped 4.3% during the first half of 2006, the AARP survey found. Manufacturers’ prices for 75 commonly prescribed generic drugs increased an average of 0.4% between July 2005 and June 2006, according to the AARP analysis.

The sleep aid Ambien, manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis, was the brand-name prescription drug with the highest price increase — 13.3% — during the first six months of 2006.