America’s 10 Top Selling Medications
Ailment: Hepatitis C
2014 U.S. Sales: $8.5 billion
Owner: Gilead Sciences
Solvadi, which treats Hepatitis C with a 90 percent cure rate, was approved by the FDA in 2013 and rapidly became one of the top-selling drugs in the United States. Its manufacturer, Gilead Sciences, has come under fire for the drug’s staggeringly high cost and its impact on budgets at Medicare and the Veterans Administration.
Sovaldi
Ailment: Rheumatoid Arthritis
2014 U.S. Sales: 6.5 billion
Owner: AbbVie
Humira has been a blockbuster drug for AbbVie since its approval by the FDA in 2002, but competitor Amgen has is testing a cheaper, generic form of the medication that could hit the market as early as 2017. That could be bad news for AbbVie, which gets more than 60 percent of its revenue from Humira.
Humira
Ailment: Diabetes
2014 U.S. Sales: $5.6 billion
Owner: Sanofi
Sales of this insulin have skyrocketed as the rates of obesity and diabetes in the United States have risen in recent years. Sanofi recently filed a lawsuit against competitor Eli Lilly, claiming that an in-development rival insulin drug infringes on Sanofi’s intellectual property.
Flickr/MacBill
Ailment: Rheumatoid Arthritis
U.S. Sales: $4.4 billion
Owner: Amgen
Enbrel provides symptomatic relief for rheumatoid arthritis patients, making it possible to eliminate chronic pain with ongoing treatment. The annual cost of the drug can exceed $20,000 per patient.
Flickr/Nicole Mays
Ailment: Crohn’s Disease
U.S. Sales: $4.2 billion
Owner: Johnson & Johnson
Administered via IV infusion in a doctor’s office or hospital outpatient facility, Remicade stops the inflammation of the GI tract which leads to flare ups of Crohn’s Disease. The annual cost per patient of this drug runs about $24,000.
Alternacare
Ailment: Depression
U.S. Sales: $3.8 billion
Owner: Otsuka Holdings
Originally designed to treat schizophrenia, the biggest selling antipsychotic medication in the world is now prescribed for a range of mental disorders.
In May, a federal judge ruled against Otsuka Holdings in the company’s attempt to thwart a rival generic drug from coming to market.
Wikimedia Commons
Ailment: Infection from Chemotherapy
U.S. Sales: $3.6 billion
Owner: Amgen
Neulasta strengthens the body’s immune system when it’s been weakened by chemotherapy by boosting the white blood cell count. This spring, Amgen introduced a patch that delivers the drug the day after chemotherapy, eliminating the need for an additional doctor’s visit.
ICM PRomotions
Ailment: Rheumatoid Arthritis
U.S. Sales: $3.6 billion
Owner: Roche
Rituxan is administered via infusion in a doctor’s office and can provide up to six months of symptom-free living. Fifteen years after its introduction, sales of Rituxan remain strong, but the drug’s patent expires in 2018.
Medpagetoday
Ailment: Asthma
U.S. Sales: $3.2 billion
Owner: GlaxoSmithKline
Millions of patients take Advair to control the symptoms of asthma, one of the most common diseases worldwide. Despite its wide success and use, some critics worry that patients are using the drug inappropriately, increasing the risk of serious side effects.
Flickr/David Camerer
Ailment: Multiple Scleroris
U.S. Sales: $3.1 billion
Owner: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.
Teva recently launched a new formulation of the drug that lasts longer than the standard version. Consumers have been quick to adopt the new version, which is good for the pharmaceutical manufacturer since a federal judge last month ruled that its patent is invalid.
Wikimedia Commons