Drug pricing remains a hot topic, and a new report offers some reasons: The most expensive drugs sold at pharmacies can cost as much as a luxury car—every month. And GoodRx’s latest ranking of the country’s costliest drugs include brands new and old.
According to the GoodRx tally, the most expensive pharmacy meds in the U.S. this year range from $71,306 per month for Amryt’s Myalept to $27,421 for Agios’ Tibsovo. Several drugs that appeared on 2019’s list make a repeat appearance with higher price tags. Two brands entered the ranks for the first time.
All of the prices are before rebates and discounts, and the list excludes medicines administered in a doctors’ office or hospital, so many of the industry’s costliest drugs are excluded. For instance, pharma’s gene therapies—including Novartis’ $2.125 million Zolgensma—aren’t listed.
In 2020, Myalept remains the most expensive pharmacy drug in the U.S. at a whopping $71,306 per month. The drug, which treats complications caused by leptin deficiency in people who have lipodystrophy, has had numerous owners over the years and its latest, Amryt, raised its price by 9.9% in January. Aegerion had marketed the med until September, when Amryt bought that drugmaker out of bankruptcy.
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