Some people spend thousands of dollars a year on medications, and thanks to their insurance they may not have to pay full price for the pharmaceuticals their doctors prescribe.
But there is a growing body of drugs that are breaking the bank for insurers and the people who need them. New, innovative medicines that drug companies make using cutting-edge technology and science, can come with hefty price tags.
GoodRx.com, a website that provides coupons for purchasing prescription drugs, has published a list of the 10 most expensive drugs in the U.S. The list includes those that are available at pharmacies and ones that health care providers administer on-site.
It ranks pharmaceuticals by their annual cost for a typical course of therapy and is based on the drugs’ list prices.
The 10 most expensive drugs in the U.S., according to GoodRx, are:
- Zolgensma (Novartis) — $2,125,000. This drug is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy,a genetic disease affecting the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, and voluntary muscle movement.
- Myalept (Amryt Pharma) — $855,678. This medication is used to treat severe metabolic abnormalities caused by leptin deficiency in people with congenital or acquired generalized lipodystrophy.
- Luxturna (Spark Therapeutics) — $850,000. This drug is a prescription gene therapy used for the treatment of patients with inherited retinal disease due to genetic mutations.
- Folotyn (Acrotech Biopharma) — $779,067. This is an anti-cancer and cancer therapy drug.
- Soliris (Alexion Pharmaceuticals) — $678,392. This drug is used to treat Grave’s disease, an immune system disorder.
- Blincyto (Amgen) — $672,968. Blinatumomab is a type of targeted cancer drug called a monoclonal antibody.
- Ravicti (Horizon Therapeutics) — $664,092. This drug is used in the treatment of certain inborn urea cycle disorders.
- Lumizyme (Sanofi) — $643,243. Lumizyme is an enzyme replacement therapy for patients with Pompe disease.
- Actimmune (Horizon Therapeutics) — $633,325. This medication is used to reduce the frequency and severity of serious infections due to chronic granulomatous disease, a genetically inherited disease.
- Takhzyro (Takeda Pharmaceuticals) — $591,035. This drug is a monoclonal antibody used to treat patients 12 years and older with types I and II hereditary angioedema.