My son as diagnosed with B-ALL (Leukemia) last year, and one of the drugs on this list was on the table. His genetic screening came back as it not being required/appropriate, but it really opened my eyes. I have health coverage that means I wouldn't have paid a cent, but I didn't know that at first, and the feeling that price tag left me with was something I won't forget.<p>A cancer diagnosis is hard. The fact that not only may you lose a loved one, but then to confront the cost of treatment during the phase when you are just trying to accept that diagnosis is something else.<p>Even without that drug I would be bankrupt if I had chosen a different career that afforded my family less coverage.
So fwiw I take Solaris every two weeks to treat Myasthenia Gravis and it probably saved my life. It’s an auto immune disease that causes voluntary muscles to quickly tire, and you would be surprised what actually qualifies at voluntary, eg your diaphragm…. So yea, these drugs may be unaffordable and that needs to change , but they do save lives.
It would be nice to have a comparison to non-US costs.<p>I know the medication I take costs 5-6k a month in the US (without insurance) but I am able to get it for 700-2k in everywhere else.<p>I suppose it's about what you'd like to highlight.
I notice how the prices are not rationalized beyond "because that's what Pharma charges" because of rarity of the illnesses, etc. But there's no concrete 'why' the prices are what they are. It seems they charge what they can get away with charging (it is a market economy, after all).<p>It's not goodrx's fault in their reporting (bravo to them, in fact), it's that there is no transparency into that industry that would provide such a breakdown (that I know of -- surely never see it reported).
All of the drugs on this list seem to treat some pretty nasty conditions. I wonder what the payback time for the research is and the target market looks like for each one. I also wonder what the landscape of medicine will look like when generic versions of these become available. How many awesome treatments are out there but uncovered by insurance and thus, out of reach for all but the most rich individuals.
What is “annual cost based on length of therapy”?<p>If you take a pill for 3 months at $10k/month does it have an “annual cost” of $120k or $30k? And if it’s the latter then it would be less confusing if “annual” were omitted.
The most expensive drug on the list costs 2m, but then you're done. Cured.<p>The second most expensive costs 1m. But that's per year.<p>1m/year > 2m/lifetime