- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
Dr Aimee Tharaldson: Orphan Drugs Will Remain A Lucrative, Growing Business
Orphan drugs are a very lucrative business, and Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, senior clinical consultant of emerging therapies at Express Scripts, expects to see more orphan drugs reach market as manufacturers focus their development efforts in these areas.
Orphan drugs are a very lucrative business, and Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, senior clinical consultant of emerging therapies at Express Scripts, expects to see more orphan drugs reach market as manufacturers focus their development efforts in these areas.
Transcript (slightly modified)
In 2015, the majority of specialty drugs were approved for orphan indications. Do you see that trend continuing?
In 2015, two-thirds of the specialty drugs approved were for orphan conditions. I think that’s high. I think, going forward, we’ll maybe see that closer to half, but yes, orphan medications is really where many manufacturers are focusing their development efforts.
These medications have 7 years of patent exclusivity and other financial incentives. Obviously, they’re very expensive; they cost about $300,000 per year or more depending. So they’re very expensive medications, and actually about 30% of all orphan medications become blockbuster medications with annual sales greater than $1 billion.
It’s very lucrative for manufacturers to develop orphan drugs so yes, I think that’s going to be a continuing trend that we’ll see more and more orphan drugs reaching the market.
Navigating Sport-Related Neurospine Injuries, Surgery, and Managed Care
February 25th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Arthur L. Jenkins III, MD, FACS, CEO of Jenkins NeuroSpine, to explore the intersection of advanced surgical care for sport-related neurospine injuries and managed care systems.
Listen
Strategies for Improving Patient Access to Dermatology Care
March 22nd 2025Elizabeth Jones, MD, FAAD, highlights the persistent issue of insurance companies favoring expensive, newer medications over equally effective generics in dermatology, emphasizing the time-consuming prior authorization process and advocating for patient partnerships and systemic improvements.
Read More
How Mirdametinib Improves QOL for People With NF1-Associated Plexiform Neurofibromas
March 18th 2025Christopher L. Moertel, MD, University of Minnesota, discusses the trial data that helped get mirdametinib approved and what providers can do to keep measuring quality of life (QOL) improvements.
Read More
