Top 8 Most Expensive Prescription Drugs In The World In 2017

The rapid rise in drug costs includes two factors: First, the increase in drug consumption. From 1990 to 1997, the national drug consumption increased by 92%. Second, drug prices have risen. From 1990 to 1997, drug prices increased by 101%. A large number of investigations and studies have proved that the increase in drug costs is the result of the joint action of various links such as drug production, distribution, consumption and pricing. There are reasonable factors for this, such as population growth and its aging, shifting disease patterns, advances in medical science, and increased levels of medical consumption. There are also unreasonable factors, such as improper use of drugs, excessive use of imported drugs and expensive drugs and other drug consumption problems; there are too many and chaotic drug circulation links, resulting in high circulation costs, layer-by-layer price increases and other circulation problems; there are drug overproduction caused by Excessive competition, causing production problems such as drug rebates; there are also problems in drug price management such as unreasonable drug pricing and even "inflated pricing". Here are the 8 most expensive prescription drugs in use worldwide in 2017.

Glybera

Glybera ranks first in the ranking of the most expensive prescription drugs in the world. It was approved by the European Union in October 2012. It is the first gene therapy drug approved in Europe. It is a major impetus in the field of gene therapy and marks a milestone in gene therapy. Glybera is expensive, costing $1.21 million per patient, making it a new record for expensive modern medicine. Glybera is also one of the least used drugs in the world. Using an adeno-associated virus to deliver a functional copy of the lipoprotein lipase gene to skeletal muscle, the drug is used to treat an extremely rare inherited, metabolic disorder called lipoprotein lipase deficiency（LPLD）. The incidence of LPLD is no more than one or two in a million, so Glybera's market in the EU is only about 150 to 200 people. Patients with LPLD are unable to process fatty particles in the blood and are at risk for acute and potentially fatal inflammation of the pancreas. In clinical trials, patients with LPLD received a single treatment with Glybera to significantly reduce the incidence of acute pancreatitis.

Soliris

Soliris, the drug developed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, has been one of the most expensive prescription drugs in the world for many years. Soliris cost nearly $537,000 to consume in the U.S. in 2016, but the Patented Drug Price Review Board pointed out that last year’s Soliris Annual Costs can reach $700,000 per person. In September 2017, Canadian authorities asked Alexion Pharmaceuticals to lower the selling price of Soliris.

Soliris currently has two indications: for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, both of which are ultra-rare diseases and there is no outside competition for Alexion, so they can charge so much for Soliris.

Elaprase

Elaprase is an enzyme replacement therapy used to treat mucopolysaccharidosis type II or Hunter's syndrome and is one of the most expensive prescription drugs. People with Hunter syndrome lack an important enzyme (2-sulfatase) that helps remove long-chain sugar molecules. If these polysaccharide molecules cannot be removed from the patient's body, progressive organ decline, especially the heart, lungs, liver and spleen, will result. The incidence of the disease is relatively low, with one in 140,000 to 156,000 births reported in the European Union. There are only about 500 people in the United States with the disease, and based on this, annual consumption higher than six figures will soon become the price standard for this rare disease drug.

Naglazyme

Naglazyme is used in the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis type VI. Mucopolysaccharidosis type VI is a serious, life-threatening, rare genetic disorder in which patients are born with a lack of an enzyme that affects the formation of carbohydrates in the body, resulting in progressive cellular, tissue and organ system dysfunction.

Cinryze

Cinryze is a C1-esterase inhibitor for the treatment of hereditary angioedema. HAE is a rare and potentially life-threatening genetic disorder of the immune system caused by a deficiency or loss of function of a C1-esterase inhibitor in the body. HAE often occurs spontaneously or during stress, surgery, and infection, and can rapidly cause edema of the patient's hands, feet, limbs, face, bowel, and respiratory tract, and throat edema can cause asphyxia.

Folotyn

The U.S. FDA approved the first drug Folotyn for patients with relapsed or chemotherapy-resistant peripheral T-cell lymphoma. PTCL is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and is fairly rare. Folotyn is approved as a rare disease drug. Clinical trial results show that Folotyn is significantly effective in reducing tumor size and prolonging patient survival.

Acthar

Acthar is a hormone drug extracted from the pituitary gland of pigs. Since 2001, the price has increased more than 1,000 times in less than 15 years. Acthar is used to treat infantile spasms and multiple sclerosis. This medicine needs to be injected daily for weeks or even months.

Myozyme

Myozyme is one of the first most expensive prescription drugs approved to treat Pompe disease. Pompe disease is a rare hereditary disease. The lack of α-glucosidase in the body causes glycogen accumulation, resulting in muscle atrophy and weakness, and enlargement of the heart. Without treatment, the patient will be dependent on a wheelchair and a ventilator for the rest of his life.