Throughout the United States, orphan drug sales continue to soar, greatly outpacing other mediation's sales, STAT reports.
Here are eight points:
1. London, United Kingdom-based EvaluatePharma, a market research firm, conducted the analysis finding orphan drugs are slated to comprise more than 21 percent of global brand-name prescription drug sales by 2022. The number is a 6 percent increase from 2000.
2. Over the next five years, orphan drug sales are likely to total $209 billion, an 11 percent increase.
3. This figure is more than twice the projected spending on other prescription medications.
4. Orphan drug sales increased by more than 12 percent in 2016 to $114 billion. Other brand-name drug sales rose 2.4 percent.
5. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is conducting an investigation to uncover if companies are submitting drugs under the orphan designation to generate profits. He told STAT, "I'm interested in learning whether the unanticipated uses of the provisions are contributing to high prices for commonly used drugs."
6. Of the top-selling 100 U.S. drugs, orphan drugs carried a $140,443 average price tag in 2016 per patient annually. Non-orphan drugs cost $27,756, on average.
7. Revlimid, a cancer treatment, generated $4.4 billion in U.S. revenue, making the product the biggest-selling orphan drug in the nation.
8. Dublin, Ireland-based Shire has the largest sales volume globally with $5.3 billion when compared to other companies offering orphan drugs for diseases other than cancer.
