1. ACHP Drug Cost Chart Pack
The enclosed slides are free for public use
DECEMBER 2015

2. The Spike in Drug Costs
Advancements in pharmaceuticals can result in drugs that offer fewer side effects, improve a patient’s quality of life and save lives, but what if not everyone can afford them?
THERE’S ENORMOUS PRESSURE ON…..
Consumers and
their families, who
may be faced with
the difficult choice
between paying for
MS medications and other necessities.
Employers, who may be forced to make cuts to their overall benefits package in order to fund rising health care costs.
Health care providers, who treat an increase in disease-related complications due in part to non-adherence to costly medications.
Health plans and
other payers, who
want to ensure people get the right drugs and keep coverage affordable.
Federal government,
which is bearing
an ever-growing
share of the costs of
these drugs, placing
increasing pressure on the federal budget.

3. The Spike in Drug Costs: Diabetes
GENERAL STATISTICS:
1 in 11 people
in the U.S. has diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes. This is expected to increase to
1 in 3 people by 2050.
The cost of diagnosed diabetes in 2012 was $245 billion.

4. The Spike in Drug Costs: Diabetes
Primarily because of escalating drug costs, spending on insulin and other diabetes medications is expected to rise 18.3 percent over the next three years, a rate of increase 60 times greater than the recent income growth average of just 0.3 percent across all households.

5. The Spike in Drug Costs: Diabetes
Diabetes Drugs with Significant Percent Price Changes Over Five Years
(3/1/2010 – 2/28/2015)
Januvia Oral Tablet, Bottle of 100 (25MG, 50MG, or 100MG)
Humalog Mix Subcutaneous Suspension 100 UNIT/ML, 10ML vial of suspension (50/50 mix or 75/25 mix)
Novolin 70/30 Subcutaneous Suspension (70-30) 100 UNIT/ML, 10 ML vial of suspension; Novolin N Subcutaneous Suspension 100 UNIT/ML, 10 ML vial of suspension; and Novolin R Injection Solution 100 UNIT/ML, 10 ML vial of solution
Levemir Subcutaneous Solution 100 UNIT/ML, 10 ML of solution
Lantus Subcutaneous Solution 100 UNIT/ML, 10 ML of solution
SymlinPen 60 Subcutaneous Solution Pen-injector 1500 MCG/1.5ML, 2 pens with 1.5 ML of solution
Humulin R U-500 (concentrated) Subcutaneous Solution 500 UNIT/ML, 20 ML of solution
Source: Medi-Span® Price Rx®. Figures reflect wholesale acquisition cost.
Note: Price modifications will alter the values reflected above.

6. The Spike in Drug Costs: Multiple Sclerosis
GENERAL STATISTICS:
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects at least 400,000 people in the United States and more than 2.5 million globally.
MS drugs help people manage their condition and enhance their comfort and quality of life.
Pietrangelo, A., & Higuera, V. (2015, March 24). Multiple
sclerosis by the numbers: facts, statistics, and you.
Retrieved from
facts-statistics-infographic
Medications. (n.d.). Retrieved from
nationalmssociety.org/Treating-MS/Medications
The cost of taking MS drugs
can span a lifetime.
There is currently no cure for MS.

7. The Spike in Drug Costs: Multiple Sclerosis
Walker, J. (2015, November 15). Sanofi’s Genzyme gets
FDA approval for MS drug. Retrieved from
com/articles/sanofis-genzyme-gets-fda-approval-for-msdrug-
Lemtrada, approved for sale in the U.S. in 2014, has a two-year course of treatment estimated at $158,000.

8. The Spike in Drug Costs: Multiple Sclerosis
MS Drugs with the Highest % Price Changes Since Launch for a 30-Day Supply
*Date listed is the first instance of available pricing data in Medi-Span® Price Rx®. The true launch date is earlier than that listed.
Note: Price modifications will alter the values reflected above.
Source: Medi-Span® Price Rx® and Figures reflect wholesale acquisition cost.
Medi-Span® Price Rx®. (2015). Retrieved from
pricerx.medispan.com. (Pricing is for 40MG/ML dose and
a quantity of 12 syringes. Manufacturer-recommended
dosing is 3X/week.)
*Date listed is the first instance of available pricing data in Medi-Span®
Price Rx®. The true launch date is earlier than that listed.
Source: Medi-Span® Price Rx® and Figures reflect
wholesale acquisition cost.
Note: Price modifications will alter the values reflected above.

9. The Spike in Drug Costs: Multiple Sclerosis
First-generation MS drugs, originally costing $8,000 - $11,000 per year, can now exceed $60,000 per person per year.
Hartung, D., Bourdette, D., Ahmed, S., & Whitman, R.
(2015). The cost of multiple sclerosis drugs in the US and
the pharmaceutical industry: Too big to fail? Neurology,
10(1212), / dx. doi. org/ / WNL.

10. The Spike in Drug Costs: Multiple Sclerosis
Hartung, D., Bourdette, D., Ahmed, S., & Whitman, R.
(2015). The cost of multiple sclerosis drugs in the US and
the pharmaceutical industry: Too big to fail? Neurology,
10(1212), / dx. doi. org/ / WNL.

11. The Spike in Drug Costs: Multiple Sclerosis
The new 40 mg dose of the widely prescribed drug Copaxone costs $5,008 a month, yet shows no gain in efficacy over the 20 mg dose.
Comi, G., Cohen, J., Arnold, D., Wynn, D., & Filippi, M.
(2011). Phase III dose-comparison study of glatiramer
acetate for multiple sclerosis. Annals of Neurology, 69(1),
doi: /ana.22316

12. The Spike in Drug Costs: Rheumatoid Arthritis
GENERAL STATISTICS:
Vandever, L. (2014). Rheumatoid Arthritis by the Numbers: Facts, Statistics, and You. Retrieved from
Yazdany, J., Dudley, R.A., Chen, R., Lin, G.A., & Tseng, C. (2015). Coverage for High-Cost Specialty Drugs for Rheumatoid Arthritis in Medicare Part D. Arthritis &
Rheumatology, volume 67 (6), Retrieved from
About 1.3 million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and this number is forecast to reach 1.68 million by 2020.

13. The Spike in Drug Costs: Rheumatoid Arthritis
The $1 million dollar estimate is based on the wholesale acquisition cost for a 30-day supply of Enbrel, Humira or Xeljanz in Medi-Span® Price Rx®, multiplied by treatment
duration. Treatment duration is standardized to 30-day increments after subtracting the average age of diagnosis (45 years) from the average life expectancy of people with RA (Male: 69.4 years, Female: 78.2 years), which is based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center. This estimate does not take into account any rebates, discounts or insurance arrangements.
The cost of taking RA drugs can exceed $1 million over the course of an individual’s lifetime.

14. The Spike in Drug Costs: Rheumatoid Arthritis
Vandever, L. (2014). Rheumatoid Arthritis by the Numbers: Facts, Statistics, and You. Retrieved from
Sixty percent of people with inadequately treated RA are unable to work 10 years after onset.

15. The Spike in Drug Costs: Rheumatoid Arthritis
RA Drug Prices for 30-Day Supply,
Note: Price modifications will alter the values reflected above.
Source: Medi-Span® Price Rx®. Figures reflect wholesale acquisition cost.

16. The Spike in Drug Costs: Rheumatoid Arthritis
Yazdany, J., Dudley, R.A., Chen, R., Lin, G.A., & Tseng, C. (2015). Coverage for High-Cost Specialty Drugs for Rheumatoid Arthritis in Medicare Part D. Arthritis &
Rheumatology, volume 67 (6), Retrieved from
The cost of treating RA in the U.S. will increase from
$6.4 billion in 2013 to $9.3 billion by 2020.

17. The Spike in Drug Costs: LDL Cholesterol

18. The Spike in Drug Costs: LDL Cholesterol

19. The Spike in Drug Costs: LDL Cholesterol