While the debate over healthcare continues, Forbes has released a list of the nine most expensive drugs in the world—each of which costs patients over $200,000 annually.
At the top of the list is Soliris (eculizumab), produced by Alexion Pharmaceuticals to treat, ahem, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. PNH is a rare and life-threatening disease and is the only form of hemolytic anemia—a deficiency in red blood cells caused by their destruction, as opposed to low production—that is acquired rather than inherited.
PNH affects approximately 8,000 Americans. It’s because of that low figure that Alexion can charge $409,500 per year for the most expensive drug in the world. The rarity of the condition means there are very few competitors to compete with for pricing.
The second most expensive medicine in the world is Elaprase at $375,000 annually. It was created by Shire Pharmaceuticals to treat Hunter Syndrome, which has symptoms ranging from a flattened nose to brain damage and afflicts 2,000 people worldwide. The third is Naglazyme, produced by BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, which treats an even rarer disorder that enlarges the head and causes short stature. That drug costs $365,000 annually.
