What are some of the most expensive medications?

Asked by: Dr. Teagan Brekke Jr.  |  Last update: October 5, 2023
Score: 4.9/5 (68 votes)

From bluebird's thalassemia therapy Zynteglo at $2.8 million for a one-time dose to CSL and uniQure's $3.5 million hemophilia B treatment Hemgenix, the three newest gene therapies to land in the U.S. have quickly skyrocketed to top of the list of the industry's most expensive products.

What is the most expensive prescription medicine?

Zolgensma – $2,125,000

Zolgensma received FDA approval in May 2019. It has remained the most expensive drug in the U.S., with a one-time cost of $2.1 million for a course of treatment.

What are the 10 most expensive drugs?

10 most expensive drugs in the US
  • Zolgensma (AveXis): $2,125,000.
  • Zokinvy (Eiger BioPharmaceuticals): $1,032,480.
  • Danyelza (Y-mAbs Therapeutics): $977,664.
  • Myalept (Aegerion Pharmaceuticals): $889,904.
  • Luxturna (Spark Therapeutics): $850,000.
  • Folotyn (Acrotech Biopharma): $793,870.

What are some common expensive medications?

Below are the 10 generic drugs the analysis found to be most expensive, along with their average monthly cash price.
  • Tadalafil: $518.
  • Zolpidem: $296.
  • Diclofenac sodium: $277.
  • Estradiol: $252.
  • Sildenafil: $248.
  • Celecoxib: $210.
  • Valacyclovir: $192.
  • Amphetamine salt combo XR: $190.

What are the 10 most expensive Medicare drugs?

10 costliest Medicare Part D prescription drugs
  • Eliquis, a blood thinner, $12.6 billion.
  • Revlimid, treats cancer, $5.9 billion.
  • Xarelto, a blood thinner, $5.2 billion.
  • Trulicity, treats diabetes, $4.7 billion.
  • Januvia, treats diabetes, $4.1 billion.
  • Jardiance, treats diabetes, $3.7 billion.

Why Drugs Are So Expensive

44 related questions found

What antibiotic is most expensive?

The cephalosporins are among the most expensive antibiotics in use today; thus, use of these expensive agents must be justified by lower toxicity, greater efficacy, or both in comparison with drugs of more reasonable cost.

What is the most expensive drug in America?

A year later, after the U.S. FDA approved Zynteglo, bluebird found a much more welcoming market and priced its gene therapy accordingly. The company landed on a price of $2.8 million per dose, making Zynteglo the most expensive drug in the U.S.

What is the best selling drugs of all time?

The biggest: Humira and Lipitor

Humira generated nearly 21 billion U.S. dollars of revenue worldwide. Pfizer's cholesterol drug Lipitor was by far the top global drug for years, but yielded its position due to heavy losses caused by patent expiration.

What is the most popular drugs of all time?

Pfizer's cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor is by far the best-selling drug of all time. But it wasn't a sure thing in the megablockbuster races.

What drug has saved the most lives?

Penicillin (1942)

It is estimated that Penicillin has saved between 80 million and 200 million lives and without its discovery and implementation, 75% of people today would not be alive because their ancestors would have succumbed to infection.

What is the most expensive heart drug?

However, with a list price of $225,000 per year, tafamidis treatment results in a significant financial burden for many patients, even with insurance coverage (3).

What is the most expensive liver medication?

Sovaldi is expensive.

The wholesale cost of Sovaldi is $1000 per 400mg tablet. This means a 12-week treatment course of Sovaldi would cost around $84,000 and a 24-week course, $168,000.

What billionaire sells prescription drugs?

It's an online pharmacy founded by Mark Cuban, a billionaire businessman, Shark Tank star and owner of the Dallas Mavericks. His new direct-to-consumer company, Cost Plus Drugs, offers more than 100 generic medications at discounted prices.

What is the most expensive medicine in the world 2023?

Most expensive prescription drugs in 2023
  • Hemgenix, CSL Behring, hemophilia B. U.S. list price: $3.5 million. ...
  • Elevidys, Sarepta, Duchenne muscular dystrophy. U.S. list price: $3.2 million. ...
  • Skysona, bluebird bio, cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy. U.S. list price: $3 million. ...
  • Zolgensma, Novartis, spinal muscular atrophy.

What is the most expensive thing in the world?

International Space Station: $150 Billion

The most expensive thing in the world is related to the Universe and it is the International Space Station. The amount which has gone towards its existence in terms of building and designing is $150 billion.

What is the number 1 most prescribed drug?

Atorvastatin calcium was the most prescribed drug in 2022, with 2.8% of claims. Atorvastatin is a statin used to treat abnormal lipid levels and prevent cardiovascular disease. It blocks an enzyme that helps make cholesterol and causes an increase in the breakdown of cholesterol.

What is Pfizer's biggest selling drug?

In 2022, Pfizer's top product was COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty, generating 37.8 billion U.S. dollars in alliance revenues and direct sales. Pfizer is a pharmaceutical corporation headquartered in New York City, United States.

What are the top 10 drugs prescribed in the US?

List of top 10 most commonly prescribed drugs
  • atorvastatin (Lipitor)
  • metformin (Glucophage)
  • simvastatin (Zocor)
  • omeprazole (Prilosec)
  • amlodipine (Norvasc)
  • metoprolol (Lopressor)
  • acetaminophen plus hydrocodone.
  • albuterol (Ventolin)

What is the 3 million dollar drug?

Manufacturer CSL Behring set the price at $3.5 million per treatment, making it the most expensive drug in the world. Hemgenix is a gene therapy to treat adults with hemophilia B, a genetic bleeding disorder in which people do not produce a protein needed to create blood clots.

What drug costs 3 million dollars?

The drug known as Hemgenix costs $3.5 million per dose and is administered to patients with the rare disorder Hemophilia B. Hemophilia B is a blood clotting disorder resulting from insufficient amounts of a protein called Protein IX.

Which country has the most expensive drugs?

Here are the 10 countries with the most expensive medicines, ranked by how much more expensive they are than the global median:
  • U.S. — 306.82 percent higher than median.
  • Germany — 125.64 percent.
  • United Arab Emirates — 122.03 percent.
  • Italy — 90.36 percent.
  • Denmark — 79.53 percent.
  • Qatar — 78.87 percent.
  • Spain — 78.34 percent.

What is the strongest antibiotic in USA?

Scientists have tweaked a powerful antibiotic, called vancomycin, so it is once more powerful against life-threatening bacterial infections. Researchers say the more powerful compound could eliminate the threat of antibiotic resistance for many years to come.

What is the most prescribed antibiotic in the world?

Penicillin is the most widely prescribed of all antibiotics, usually in the form of amoxicillin. It is also considered one of the strongest.

Which is the 1 antibiotic in world?

The discovery of penicillin in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) marked the beginning of the antibiotic revolution. Ernst Chain and Howard Florey purified the first penicillin, penicillin G, in 1942 but became widely available outside the Allied military in 1945.