Drug prices in the United States are higher than anywhere else in the world, and there are some prescription medicines with price tags in the millions.
GoodRx, a company that operates a telemedicine platform that tracks prescription drug prices, ranked the 10 most expensive drugs in the U.S., including prescription drugs from the pharmacy and those administered by healthcare practitioners.
Here are the top 10 most expensive drugs in the U.S and their annual cost:
- Zolgensma––$2,125,000
- Myalept––$855,678
- Luxturna––$850,000
- Folotyn––$779,067
- Soliris––$678,392
- Blincyto––$672,968
- Ravicti––$664,092
- Lumizyme––$643,243
- Actimmune––$633,325
- Takhzyro––$591,035
Some of the same drugs have made GoodRx’s list year to year, including Actimmune, Myalept and Darapin, with each costing more than $40,000 for a month’s supply.
The highest-priced drug on the list, Zolgensma, made headlines earlier this year for becoming the world’s most expensive drug. Zolgensma, manufactured by Novartis, treats the progression of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in children under two. While the price tag elicited strong responses from the healthcare world, the drug is considered revolutionary in that it can cure a disease once though incurable, according to GoodRx. With such a high price, Novartis is accepting payments in installments of $425,000 over five years.
"We have not seen any newly approved drugs with a list price higher than Zolgemsma," Tori Marsh, GoodRx health insights analyst, told Health Exec. "However, million dollar drugs like Zolgensma set a standard for drug prices and it’s possible that we could see more million dollar drugs in the future."
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."