Top 10 Greediest Drug Prices in Medical History

During the past 50 years, the medical world has been evolving into a reliable system for everybody to get good treatment for their health conditions. As a result, more and more drugs are being produced to combat various diseases throughout the world. New drugs are constantly being discovered, giving us better ways to treat previously impossible-to-treat diseases. But with this advancement comes higher costs to obtain those life-saving drugs. The pharmaceutical companies that produce those drugs will often affix high price tags to their drugs and keep on raising the price as more people buy them.

This list will deal with the top 10 drugs that are priced really expensively, usually due to their efficiency in treating rare or life-threatening diseases. Check these out.

1. Myozyme ($100,000+/Year for Children and $300,000+/Year for Adults)

Myozime, also called a glucosidase alpha, is a drug made to treat Pompe disease, a rare condition which makes the body incapable of breaking down sugar into glucose. The sufferer doesn't have enough alpha glucosidase enzymes, which have the main function of breaking down sugar into glucose so that the body can use it to produce energy, in their organism. This disease is inherited from the parents and it can appear in the individual at birth or when they are an adult. The drug is injected into the veins as a dissolved powder. The price for the drug is about $850 per vial, which means $100,000 per year for the treatment of children. And since adults will need more Myozyme in a year, it can cost about $300,000.

2. Elaprase ($375,000+/Year)

Elaprase is a drug made for people with Hunter syndrome, often called mucopolysaccharidosis II, which is a disease caused by the lack of enzyme iduronate-2-sulfatase (I2S) in their body. Thus, the drug is used in enzyme replacement therapy with the purpose to help infuse the patients with the needed I2S enzyme. Elaprase deals mostly with the symptoms, such as walking difficulties, skin abnormalities, enlarged organ size and more. The drug can cause some serious health risks after use and it is mostly only used by individuals age 5 and above. Elaprase is prescribed based on the individual's body weight. The heavier the person, the more Elaprase needs to be used. The price for this drug is about $3,000 per vial, which can measure up to $375,000 per year.

3. Soliris ($500,000+/Year)

Soliris is a drug made to treat two conditions: PNH (Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria) and aHUS (aTypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome). PNH is a disease that destroys the red blood cells within the body, whereas aHUS is a life-threatening disease that forms abnormal cloths within the kidneys, which greatly disturbs renal functions. Soliris can sometimes create meningococcal infections that can be very serious for the patient's health. Soliris can cost more than $500,000 per year, and the drug is considered one of the most expensive in the world. There was a case where Alexion, the company that produces the drug, sued the Canadian government because they wanted to cut down the price of the medication in the country.

4. Glybera ($1,000,000+/Treatment)

Glybera is a drug made to treat familial lipoprotein lipase (LPL) deficiency, and this condition is very rare. The person affected by this disease will feel an extreme swelling and painful sensation in the pancreas. This drug is currently not approved by the FDA and is only allowed in the European Union. Glybera is currently considered a drug for gene therapy, as it acts as a copy of the LPL gene, which helps to restore the function of the pancreas. Glybera gene therapy can cost more than $1,000,000 per treatment. And with this price tag, Glybera is considered the most expensive drug in the world. It is also the first approved gene therapy product in Europe.

5. Vimizim ($375,000+/Year)

Vimizim is a drug used to treat Morquio A, which makes the individuals with the disease unable to break down the long-chain sugar molecules within their body. This disease affects the body's metabolism, with symptoms such as abnormal bones, a large head, wide teeth and short stature. It is passed down genetically. This drug is approved by the FDA for enzyme replacement therapy for patients with Morquio A disease, which needs to be applied weekly through infusion. Vimizim usually costs about $1,000 per vial, which means that it can cost more than $375,000 with regular use.

6. Naglazyme ($475,000+/Year)

Naglazyme is a drug used in enzyme replacement therapy to treat Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome, also called mucopolysaccharidosis type VI, which can cause a shortened life span for the patients. The disease is characterized by unusual skeletal development and the enlargement of body organs. The regular infusion of this drug can help patients improve their conditions, such as by helping them improve their body endurance and ease their breathing. The price of Naglazyme is about $1,800 per vial, which can mean $475,000 for a one-year treatment. Whereas this drug can improve the health of patients with Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome, it can also cause severe side effects for some patients, such as infusion reactions, vomiting, headache and pain.

7. Kalydeco ($300,000+/Year)

Kalydeco is a drug made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals in order to help patients with cystic fibrosis to treat the cause of their condition. This drug is claimed to be a better treatment for cystic fibrosis than other drugs that only treat the symptoms of the disease. Cystic fibrosis is a disease characterized by various types of mutations in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator (CFTR) gene. The drug helps patients improve their lung functions and increase their weight, as well as treat other various bad effects caused by the disease. Kalydeco is an oral medication in the form of pills that needs to be taken twice daily. The cost of the drug is about $500 per tablet, which means that the patients need to spend about $1,000 daily in order to treat their condition.

8. Cinryze ($225,000+/Year)

Cinryze is a drug made to treat the condition called HAE (hereditary angioedema), in order to help the patients prevent severe swelling and painful attacks. HAE is a disease that is inherited from the parents, with symptoms such as cramping in the abdomen and swelling in the face. The drug acts as a protein inhibitor for the patient's body, which helps to prevent HAE attacks. The drug contains C1 esterase inhibitor, of great importance for the condition. The price of the medication is about $2,300 per vial, which can mean more than $225,000 per year. The Cinryze infusion needs to be done every 30 days in order to keep the patients in a healthy condition.

9. Folotyn ($300,000+/Year)

Folotyn is a drug made to fight T-cell lymphoma, an aggressive form of lymphoma that attacks the entire body. When an individual suffers from T-cell lymphoma, their body is no longer capable of fighting viruses, because the disease makes the anti-virus cells useless. This disease is also classified as a type of cancer that can be life-threatening. Usually, the health care professionals will use this drug as a last resort to fight the cancerous cells. There are two types of T-cell lymphoma. The first type is relapsed T-cell lymphoma, which is the initial condition of the T-cell lymphoma. The second type is refractory, which is the final form of T-cell lymphoma. The price of this drug is about $30,000 per month or about more than $300,000 per year. The medication is said to help shrink the patients’ tumors, but it will not help to prolong their life.

10. Achtar ($300,000+/Year)

Achtar is a drug made to treat various health conditions. This drug is usually used to treat infants (under the age of 2) with seizures or spasms. Other than that, the drug can also treat other conditions, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis relapses, proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome, dermatomyositis and polymyositis, symptoms of sarcoidosis, rheumatoid arthritis, ophthalmic conditions and psoriatic arthritis. Though it is not yet FDA-approved, the sales of the drug have reached more than $800,000,000 yearly for the manufacturer, Questcor (now owned by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals). The price of the medication is about $23,000 per vial, which means more than $300,000 per year. The drug was initially priced around $1,600 per vial, but in 2007, the drug got a whopping price raise to $23,000 per vial. Even now, the drug constantly gets a price raise year after year.