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High pharmaceutical
prices in the US have been in the spotlight for the past year.
But which drugs are the most expensive?
GoodRx, a startup that works to assemble the prices of drugs and
provide discounts so that people can find the lowest prices for
their prescriptions, compiled a list of the 10 most
expensive prescription drugs in the US.
The price listed is for a 30-day supply (with the exception of
drugs that are used as a cure, in which case the dose needed to
cure was listed).
The price is what GoodRx calls its "fair price": It's not exactly
the list price, or what the pharmaceutical company sets - it's
the maximum you should be paying at a pharmacy, wherever you are
and whatever your coverage (or lack thereof).
The drugs on the list are mainly for rare conditions, or used to
treat and cure hepatitis C (which afflicts millions of
Americans).
Viekira Pak, AbbVie: $34,600
Viekira Pak is a hepatitis C drug meant to cure those with the
virus. Hepatitis C is a disease that's transmitted by blood. Once
infected, most don't have immediate symptoms, but left untreated
it can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer.
It affects between 130 million
and 150 million people worldwide.
Firazyr (icatibant), Shire: $35,800
The drug Firazyr is used to treat a rare condition called
hereditary
angioedema, or HAE, a blood disorder that causes episodic
swelling. Firazyr is an injection that can be used to treat these
attacks. This price is for three syringes worth of the drug.
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Cuprimine (penicillamine), Valeant: $39,800
Cuprimine, a drug that's already been the subject of
congressional hearings on drug prices, has been around since the
1950s. It's currently owned by Valeant, and in the past few
years, its price has shot up. It's used to treat Wilson disease,
a
rare inherited disease that causes copper to build up in the
body. The drug works to get that copper out of a person's system.
Like others in this list, the drug is also included on the World
Health Organization's
list of essential medicines. The price is for 120 capsules;
one is taken after every meal.
Orkambi (lumacaftor and ivacaftor), Vertex: $44,200
When it was approved, Vertex's drug made headlines for
costing $259,000 a year. It treats a particular type of
cystic fibrosis and is taken twice a day. Cystic fibrosis is a
rare inherited disease in which a thick mucus builds up in the
lungs and
other key organs.
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Olysio (simeprevir), Janssen: $44,800
Olysio is another drug to treat
hepatitis C. It's used in combination with another drug,
called sofosbuvir, to treat the disease. This price is for two
bottles of 28 capsules.
HP Acthar (corticotropin), Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals: $51,600
HP Acthar gel, a drug that's used to treat multiple sclerosis,
infantile spasms, rheumatoid arthritis and a few other conditions, has
in the past been called out for
its high price tag. The drug was originally approved in the
1950s, and is currently owned by
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. This price is for two vials of
the drug.
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Daklinza is another hepatitis C cure. It's used on its own to
treat people with genotype 3 hepatitis C along with sofosbuvir,
another hepatitis C drug.
Cinryze is another drug used to treat to treat
HAE. The injections, taken twice a week, are used to
prevent the swelling attacks that HAE causes.
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Harvoni (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir), Gilead Sciences: $79,200
Gilead's second hepatitis C cure
was approved in 2014. The combination drug actually is
cheaper than sofosbuvir on its own for a full course of
treatment, according to GoodRx's fair price analysis.
1. Sovaldi (sofosbuvir), Gilead Sciences: $81,000
Sovaldi, the first of a new set of hepatitis C cures that hit the
market in 2013, came under a lot of fire for
costing $1,000 a pill, adding up to $84,000 for a 12-week
course of treatment. According to GoodRx, the most, without
insurance, that a person should pay is $81,000 for the full
treatment.
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