{"id":5452,"date":"2025-05-13T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T09:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/?p=5452"},"modified":"2025-05-13T11:40:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T11:40:20","slug":"top-10-most-expensive-prescription-drugs-in-the-us-by-price-and-by-sales-volume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/13\/top-10-most-expensive-prescription-drugs-in-the-us-by-price-and-by-sales-volume\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 most expensive prescription drugs in the US by price and by sales volume"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the heels of President Donald Trump\u2019s Monday announcement of an executive order that will slash prescription drug prices<\/a> in the U.S., the spotlight is on current costs and how much Americans could save.<\/p>\n

The president\u2019s order calls for “most favored nations drug pricing” \u2014 which means “the lowest price paid for a drug in other developed countries, that is the price that Americans will pay,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Some prescription drug and pharmaceutical prices will be reduced almost immediately by 50 to 80 to 90%,” Trump said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

PRESIDENT TRUMP TAKES ON ‘BIG PHARMA’ BY SIGNING EXECUTIVE ORDER TO LOWER DRUG PRICES<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Katy Dubinsky, a New York pharmacist and founder and CEO of Vitalize, applauded the move to reduce prescription prices, noting that Trump\u2019s order<\/a> tackles a long-standing problem.<\/p>\n

“But this will not be simple to accomplish,” she told Fox News Digital.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The executive order doesn’t reduce costs immediately,” she said. “It directs government agencies to start drafting the rules, which may take months.”<\/p>\n

Here are the five most expensive prescription drugs in the U.S. by price \u2014 followed by five by volume.<\/p>\n

Dubinsky detailed some of the most expensive prescription drugs in the country today and what conditions they treat.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Lenmeldy (atidarsagene autotemcel) by Orchard Therapeutics \u2013 $4.25 million<\/strong><\/p>\n

This medication is used to treat metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), a rare genetic disorder that damages the nervous system<\/a>, Dubinsky said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It is given once and is supposed to stop or slow down the disease in young kids,” she noted.<\/p>\n

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2. Hemgenix (etranacogene dezaparvovec-drlb) by CSL Behring \u2013 $3.5 million<\/strong><\/p>\n

This medication is prescribed for people with hemophilia B, a bleeding disorder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This one-time treatment helps the body make its own clotting factor, so patients don\u2019t need regular infusions,” said Dubinsky.<\/p>\n

3. Elevidys (delandistrogene moxeparvovec-rokl) by Sarepta Therapeutics \u2013 $3.2 million<\/strong><\/p>\n

This prescription medication, intended for young boys<\/a>, treats Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a condition that weakens muscles over time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It aims to slow down how fast the disease progresses,” Dubinsky said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4. Skysona (elivaldogene autotemcel) by Bluebird Bio \u2013 $3 million<\/strong><\/p>\n

“This medication is used for cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD), a serious brain disease<\/a> in boys,” said Dubinsky. “This therapy tries to slow the damage before symptoms get worse.”<\/p>\n

5. Zynteglo (betibeglogene autotemcel) by Bluebird Bio \u2013 $2.8 million<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zynteglo is for beta-thalassemia, a blood condition that usually requires regular transfusions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This gene therapy<\/a> can help patients make healthy red blood cells on their own and reduce how often they need treatment,” said Dubinsky.<\/p>\n

John Stanford, executive director of Incubate, a Washington-based coalition of early-stage life-science investors, shared his thoughts on the top five most expensive drugs by sales volume.<\/p>\n

“Typically, when the government is focused on the most expensive drugs, they’re focused on the metric based on sales volume rather than, for instance, a rare disease therapy with a high list price but smaller patient pool,” he told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

“Often, officials are focused on total drug spending by Medicare or other government programs.”<\/p>\n

1. Keytruda (pembrolizumab) by Merck \u2014 $25 billion revenue (2023)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keytruda is an immunotherapy medication used to treat a variety of cancers<\/a>, including melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, liver cancer and others.<\/p>\n

“Keytruda has become Merck’s crown jewel, helping the company expand its cancer treatment portfolio with more than 1,000 active clinical trials,” Stanford told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

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2. Eliquis (apixaban) by Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer \u2014 $18.95 billion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eliquis (apixaban) is an “anchor drug” for both BMS and Pfizer, according to Stanford.<\/p>\n

Apixaban is prescribed to prevent the formation of blood clots and to treat deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs).\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. Ozempic (semaglutide) by Novo Nordisk \u2014 $13.93 billion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prescribed for type 2 diabetes<\/a>, the semaglutide medication Ozempic has become widely popular for its weight-loss effects and other health benefits.<\/p>\n

“Ozempic’s sales are powering Novo Nordisk’s broader foray into GLP-1s for obesity, heart disease<\/a> and liver conditions \u2014 all areas with high development costs and uncertain scientific outcomes,” Stanford told Fox News Digital.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The money has gone toward scaling up production to meet demand for GLP-1s and avoid supply shortages.”<\/p>\n

4. Humira (AbbVie) \u2014 $14.4 billion (U.S. 2023 revenue)<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Humira has been one of the highest-grossing drugs in history, generating over $200 billion during its exclusivity period,” Stanford said.<\/p>\n

The injectable medication, which contains the active ingredient adalimumab, is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis<\/a> and other inflammatory conditions.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

5. Biktarvy by Gilead \u2014 $11.85 billion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Biktarvy is an HIV treatment that includes the three ingredients bictegravir, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide.<\/p>\n

“Biktarvy isn’t just a leading HIV treatment<\/a> \u2014 it’s the financial backbone for Gilead’s move into cancer research,” Stanford said.<\/p>\n

Dr. Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax, a San Francisco biotechnology company, said vaccines and most generic drugs would not likely be changed by the executive order.<\/p>\n

“Most vaccines that Americans take cost less than a hundred dollars, while generic drugs are often less than a dollar a pill,” he told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

What would be affected, Glanville predicted, are newer brand-name drugs still under IP exclusivity, antibody therapies, cellular therapies, gene therapies and personalized cancer vaccines<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Some of these are excruciatingly expensive \u2014 $100,000 to $500,000 for a treatment course for a patient. However, they are also often the most effective treatments for certain cancers, autoimmune disorders or rare diseases<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

The pharmaceutical industry might argue that lowering the prices on these medicines will result in a “dramatic reduction of investment” in creating such breakthroughs, said Glanville.<\/p>\n

The industry may also argue that these medicines eventually become generic \u2014 at which point the prices drop, according to the expert.<\/p>\n

For more Health articles, visit\u00a0www.foxnews.com\/health<\/u><\/strong><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

“From a patient\u2019s perspective, the price of medical care<\/a> in the United States is unsustainable, and extremely expensive medicine is part of that,” he said. But “the insurance system and the hospital business also contribute.”<\/p>\n

“If the prices of new medicines are capped, then effort should be made to reduce the cost of clinical trials and drug GMP manufacturing. Otherwise, we will lose a lot of innovation.”<\/p>\n

Greg Norman of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the heels of President Donald Trump\u2019s Monday announcement of an executive order that will slash prescription drug prices in the U.S., the spotlight is on current costs and how<\/p>\n

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