A study published in January by the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science reports that worldwide drug spending reached $ 1.2 trillion (1.2 trillion) in 2018 and will exceed $ 1.5 trillion by 2023, according to “Global Drug Use in 2019 and Outlook to 2023”
Below is the updated overall top 15 of best-selling prescription drugs. The drug that topped the best-seller list in 2017 also topped the overall drug best-seller list in 2013, when it generated $10.659 billion, a jump of 87% in five years.
Top-selling drugs are ranked by 2018 sales or revenue reported by biopharmaceutical companies in press releases, annual reports, investor materials, and/or conference calls. Each drug is listed by name, sponsor(s), indicated diseases, 2018 sales, 2017 sales, and the percentage change between both years.
Ten of last year's 15 best-selling drugs had year-over-year sales gains, while six of the 10 were double-digit increases. The rest of the list has seen declines in sales since 2017, most often reflecting the launch of generic competitors or discounts from insurers.
Those ranked 20th to 16th are treatments that generated between $ 4 billion and approximately $ 4.7 billion last year: Sanofi's Lantus® (insulin glargine), Pfizer's Ibrance® (palbociclib), Tecfidera® biogen (dimethyl fumarate), Gilead Sciences' Genvoya® (elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, tenofovir alafenamide); and Amgen/Kyowa Hakko Kirin's Neulasta®/Peglasta® (pegfilgrastim), which cracked last year's Top 15.
This year, cancer continues to be the most expensive major disease category with 6 of the 15 best-selling drugs, including 3 of the top 5, while arthritis grew to 5th (up from 4th last year) such as Stelara from Janssen Biotech (Johnson & Johnson) ® (ustekinumab). Also this year it is Merck & Co.'s Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) again, which ranks in the top 5.
JAN By – Alex Philippidis –
References
1. Pfizer lists separately the Lyrica revenues generated in all of Europe, Russia, Turkey, Israel, and Central Asia countries ($347 million in 2018, $553 million in 2017). Those revenues are listed by Pfizer's “Essential Health” operating segment, while its “Innovative Health” segment records Lyrica revenues generated elsewhere in the world, including the US ($4.622 billion in 2018, $4.511 billion in 2017).
2. Biogen receives a share of US pre-tax profits on sales of Rituxan, which is marketed by Genentech (Roche). Sales figures do not include US pre-tax profits generated by Biogen, since the company only discloses those profits combined with profits from Gazyva® (obinutuzumab), and does not break out each product separately. Biogen reported combined Rituxan-Gazyva pre-tax profits of $1.432 billion for 2018, and $1.316 billion for 2017.
3. Pfizer markets Enbrel outside the US and Canada, where the treatment is marketed by Amgen.
4. Pfizer figures for Eliquis consist of “alliance revenues” reflecting products co-developed with partner companies, as well as direct sales in some regions of the world.
