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the world's 10 most expensive drugs

everyone talks about how expensive drugs are. but just how expensive is expensive? number one costs $2.77 million per dose.

by nicholas sokic
published feb 05, 2020
last updated jul 14, 2020
read time 3 minute read
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read time 3 minute read
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here are the top ten most expensive prescription drugs in the world (prices listed have been converted into canadian dollars from us currency, and may vary depending on a country’s coverage).
    1. zolgensma developed by novartis international ag in switzerland, it’s used to treat spinal muscular atrophy (sma), and costs $2.77 million per dose. the food and drug administration (fda) approved it this year. zolgensma is a gene therapy drug designed to replace the defective gene causing sma, and patients only require one dose, which is delivered in liquid form via a vein.
    2. actimmune used to fend off chronic granulomatous disease, an inherited condition that leaves the body defenceless from infections caused by certain bacteria and fungus, actimmune is also used to slow severe malignant osteoporosis. developed by american horizon therapeutics (formerly horizon pharma), it is not registered in canada. the price per .5 ml vial comes in at $75,835. patients need to take around 12 vials each month, for an annual cost of $910,031 in canadian dollars.
    3. acthar the irish mallinckrodt pharmaceuticals-produced acthar is mainly used to treat infantile spasms or seizures in children between four and 11 months. however, it can be used on children up to two years old and on adults who suffer from multiple sclerosis. for a 5 ml vial, the cost is $52,930. multiple sclerosis requires between 80 to 120 doses a week and the cost per dose is about $10,907. this means that per month, acthar would cost about $605,787.
    4. ravicti urea cycle disorder is a relatively rare condition in newborns that causes a potentially fatal build-up of ammonia in the bloodstream. one 25 ml bottle of ravicti, now owned by horizon therapeutics, costs $6,638. annually, the costs hit highs of $557,658.
    5. myalept produced by the international amryt pharma, myalept treats generalized lipodystrophy, a condition that removes virtually all the fat from a person’s body affecting the production of leptins — a hormone in the small intestine that helps regulate energy levels and determines hunger. it comes in a powder form, and is meant to be mixed with sterile water for each dose. just one of these doses costs $6,412 which, at the necessary 30 doses a month, adds up to $192,335.
    6. brineura used to treat infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2, a rapidly progressing and rare paediatric brain disorder where most do not make it past adolescence, brineura is developed by biomarin pharmaceutical inc. it is used to slow the decline of motor and mental functions. one kit is needed every other week at $37,313 each time.
    7. oxervate treats neurotrophic keratitis, the degeneration of the cornea resulting in loss of vision. developed by dompe farmaceutici s.p.a. in italy, doses are used to completely heal a patient over an eight-week-long treatment, six times a day at two-hour intervals. one carton for the week costs $15,468. for one eye, the total treatment cost is $123,751.
    8. takhzyro used to treat hereditary angioedema — recurrent episodes of severe swelling in the limbs, face, intestinal tract and airways. each dose, developed by the uk-based shire plc, costs $30,501 and must be taken every two weeks, although it can be slowed to every four weeks if the patient shows signs of improving.
    9. daraprim  if you are exposed, through undercooked contaminated meat or infected cat feces, to the toxoplasma gondii parasite, you may develop toxoplasmosis. the symptoms are flu-like in nature, and the treatment is daraprim. this is one of the drugs that pharma bro martin shkreli catapulted to $992 a pill, making a months supply about $29,773. after three weeks, there is a reduction in dosage and patients are only required to take it for another four to five weeks.
    10. cinryze  another drug developed to treat hereditary angioedema, specifically the swelling, cinryze is also developed by shire plc. used every three to four days at $3,824 per dose, eight doses a month translates to $30,593.
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