Inflation at the wholesale level slowed in April following a huge increase in March although prices for a number of items from prescription drugs to pasta shot upward.

The Labor Department reported Tuesday that wholesale inflation edged up by 0.2 percent in April following a 1.1 percent jump in March. Outside of food and energy, prices rose by a faster 0.4 percent.

The moderation in overall price gains primarily reflected how the government adjusts its data to compensate for seasonal changes. Those adjustments showed gasoline prices falling last month even though motorists were seeing prices soar.