A new study revealed that the prices of the drugs used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) have become 700 percent more expensive that its original price about two decades ago. Prices are soaring at an alarming rate, even if new drugs are now available in the market.
Researchers at Oregon State University found that the cheapest treatment available for an MS patient in the United States is $50,000 per year, when it was only around $8,000 to $10,000 in the 1990s. They also found that the prices have increased about five to seven times for the last 20 years, much faster than the price hike on drugs for other diseases.
"The issue of astronomical drug costs, especially for newer drugs or rare conditions, is more and more common," Daniel Hartung, lead author of the study and an associate professor in the Oregon State University/Oregon Health & Science University College of Pharmacy, said in a news release.
"There are often several drugs in a class available to treat a disease or condition, and 'economics 101' would suggest that competition should lower prices," he added. "In the pharmaceutical industry we often don't see that. Many professionals now believe that it's time to push back, to say enough is enough."
The findings highlight the problem in the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. in which some types of drugs, particularly for MS, have no clear pricing guidelines, as well as a negotiating body from the national healthcare system. MS drugs in the U.S. are two to three times more expensive than those in Canada, Australia, and the U.K.
"The disturbing escalation of prices in the U. S. is clearly related to the political prohibition of Medicare to negotiate prices with the pharmaceutical industry. What has happened defies common sense, logic, and the expected rules of the marketplace," wrote two Canadian researchers in an accompanying editorial.
There is about 400,000 people in the U.S. living with MS, and 10,000 more are being diagnosed per year. There is no cure yet for this condition, so patients have to rely on the drugs that help lessen the frequency and severity of the attacks, reduce brain lesions, and delay the progression of disability.
The study was published I the April 24 issue of the journal Neurology.
