I am certain no other drug ever sold near $2 billion in its first full quarter on-market. But that's what Gilead just pulled off with Solvadi®. At $1,000 per pill -- $84,000 for a full 12 week course. Wow. From the Gilead's Q1 WSJ release-reprint then:
. . . .The higher-than-expected sales reflect Sovaldi's use by about 30,000 patients with the liver disease since the drug was introduced in December, and a price tag of $1,000 per pill, or $84,000 per patient for a standard 12-week treatment.
Analysts said they believed it was the highest sales total ever for the first full quarter of a new drug. In comparison, the most recent fourth-quarter sales for the top-selling drug in the world— AbbVie's Humira® arthritis treatment, on the market since 2002 — were $3.04 billion. . . .
I guess the question may turn out to be whether Merck's MK-5172 will have multiple millions of insured people, erh. . . left to treat by the time it reaches market, given this roaring start for Gilead.
4 comments:
Congress will REALLY be indignant now! It will get harder for Gilead to answer them with a straight face when they DOUBLED what they thought they would reap. It would be a fantastic advance in health if there were no patients left to treat by the time other therapies hit market but that pricing is just too audacious (even by Pharma standards) to applaud Gilead for doing it.
I think you hit the nail -- dead on the head here!
I am sure now, that if Solvadi generates like $12 billion -- in its first full year on market -- all payers, and Congress will scream.
And I mean really scream. Even louder.
As they well-ought.
And I agree -- having no people left on the planet suffering from Hep C would be a very happy problem to face.
Pricing will prevent taht -- even when all the others reach market.
Thanks again -- do stop back -- and. . .
Namaste
Forbes weighs in:http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertpearl/2014/04/24/americas-broken-health-care-system-the-role-of-drug-device-manufacturers/
This was indeed a very intelligent move by Gilead. They have timed the launch so well and have achieved more than projected sales.
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