A crisis inUSdrug pricing: Consequences for patients with neuromuscular diseases, physicians and society, part 1
- 1 November 2020
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wiley in Muscle & Nerve
- Vol. 62 (5), 567-572
- https://doi.org/10.1002/mus.27015
Abstract
Drug prices in the United States have reached astounding heights, negatively impacting patients and society. The vast majority of prescription drug spending is on brand name drugs, which are protected from typical market pressures by FDA exclusivity and intellectual property patents. Drugs to treat "orphan" diseases, of particular relevance to neuromuscular clinicians, are some of the most expensive in all of medicine. The Orphan Drug Act's original intent was to incentivize the creation of drugs that would otherwise provide little economic payoff. While it has facilitated incredible, life-changing drugs for our patients, it has also become a source of abuse. Many expensive drugs approved under the Orphan Drug Act were previously available for compassionate use or for another indication at much lower prices. As patients increasingly face high drug prices, it is important for clinicians to understand a drug's risk for inducing financial toxicity, as the financial and emotional consequences of an overpriced low-value drug may outweigh its intended benefit.This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
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