IT ISN ’ T YOUR IMAGINATION .
More and more pharmaceutical drugs are expensive and meant to be injected , and that isn ’ t counting vaccines .
Biologic drugs , also called biologics , are produced from or with living organisms and are made up of blood components , cells , genes , and recombinant proteins such as those found in monoclonal antibodies .
Usually injected , these drugs typically cost about 22 times more than regular pharmaceutical drugs and “ can generate profit margins of up to 40 percent ,” according to Pharma ’ s Almanac , which explains the biologic drugmaker direction . In fact , in 2017 , while only 2 percent of people in the United States had used biologic drugs , they accounted for 40 percent of prescription drug spending . Unlike regular pharmaceuticals , biologics can evade generic copies and can monopolize a market longer .
Last year , the global biologics market was estimated to be $ 366.43 billion . It ’ s projected to reach $ 719.84 billion by 2030 , according to Precedence Research . While biologics can target cancer and deliver chemotherapies , three of the 10 top-selling biologics in 2021 — Humira , Enbrel , and Remicade — treat a cluster of immune-related conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis , rheumatoid arthritis , and plaque psoriasis , conditions that were less well-known before the years of heavy drugmaker advertising .
Without insurance , Humira costs $ 9,065 a month , Enbrel $ 8,717 a month , and Remicade about $ 4,000 a month , making drugmakers more than $ 28 billion dollars in 2021 alone , with Humira pulling in the post at $ 20.7 billion and Enbrel and Remicade adding $ 4.36 billion and $ 3.2 billion , respectively .
Compare that to the $ 7.8 billion Pfizer made with its COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 , and you see the profit bonanza .
But even as the biologics perform as blockbusters for their manufacturers , questions persist about their high prices , safety , efficacy , and marketing .
Drawbacks Of Immune Suppression
Humira , Enbrel , and Remicade are monoclonal antibodies called TNF suppressors ; they work by suppressing the body ’ s “ tumor necrosis factor ,” which plays a role in autoimmune diseases and inflammation .
Genetically engineered in a lab like all monoclonal antibodies , the drugs are other- worldly chimeric mixtures of human and animal cells , a fact not found in their prescribing information or heard in their ubiquitous ads ( although it ’ s conceded that Humira stands for “ human monoclonal antibody in rheumatoid arthritis ”).
Humira and Enbrel are made from geneticallymodified Chinese hamster ovary cells , and Remicade is made from genetically engineered “ humanized ” mouse cells .
Because TNF suppressors weaken the immune system , they invite infections . According to Humira ’ s prescribing information , the biologic ’ s users are “ at increased risk for developing serious infections that may lead to hospitalization or death . … Reported infections include : active tuberculosis ( TB ), including reactivation of latent TB … invasive fungal infections , including histoplasmosis , coccidioidomycosis , candidiasis , aspergillosis , blastomycosis , and pneumocystosis .”
The Trial Lawyer x 71