Rare Diseases, High-Cost Cure: The 5 Most Expensive Prescription Drugs in America

By Staff Writer

Sep 30, 2014 01:07 AM EDT

Recently, Clamp'd released a list of prescription drugs with fiercely over the top prices. These prescription drugs are produced by different pharmaceutical companies, encouraged by the FDA to develop new drugs for life-threatening rare diseases.

Generally, these expensive prescription drugs in the US are medications for rare conditions. This creates a notion that uncommon diseases also equates to rare and soaring expensive cures. Unfortunately, it implies a small probability of totally beating the disease, with the unattainable value of these medications. The small number of people with these rare medical conditions needs to acquire these drugs with prices ranging up to $400,000 per year. It shows a choice between life and death with money.

Consquently, the prices of these prescription drugs illustrate two things, the value of the market, and the cost of developing medications for rare diseases. These two factors create the high cost of merging rarity of market and massive research. The five most expensive prescription drugs in America based on About.com's list , show the high cost of good health and its economical factor in the pharmaceuticals.

1.       Soliris

Soliris is a prescription drug for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, a rare disorder that destroys red blood cells and causes the release of hemoglobin into the urine. This disorder is believed to affect a rate of one to five per one million and is estimated to affect 8,000 Americans. This prescription drug, with generic name Eculizumab, is manufactured by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, and has an annual cost of $440,000 dollars.

2.       Elaprase

Elaprase is an injected medication to treat the inherited condition called Hunter Syndrome, a genetic disorder in which one has a deficient enzyme. This $375,000 dollar drug is a recombinant form of the human lysosomal enzyme, iduronate-2-sulfatase. This injected medication that replaces the missing enzyme is manufactured by Shire Human Genetic Therapies.

3.       Naglazyme

Naglazyme is a medication with a purified human enzyme to treat the Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder that is caused by a deficient enzyme which may lead to growth retardation and heart disease. Naglazyme has an annual cost of $365,000 dollars and manufactured by BioMarin Pharmaceutical.

4.       Cinryze

Cinryze is a prophylactic treatment, used to cure the rare hereditary angioedema (HAE). HAE is a genetic disorder that causes deadly swelling of hands, feet, face, genitals, abdomen, and throat because of blood protein deficiency. Manufactured by ViroPharma, then acquired by Shure back in 2013, Cinryze has an annual cost of $360,000 dollars.

5.       Folotyn

Folotyn is a medication to treat a type of cancer in the lymph system, an essential system which is composed of white blood cells and T cells. This disease, T-cell lymphoma, is a rare kind of cancer, affecting about one or two people out of 100,000. Folotyn, made by Allos Therapeutics, is a drug injection for this cancer, which has an annual cost of $320,000 dollars.

© 2024 VCPOST, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics