Per patient costs for orphan drugs 13.8 times higher than non-orphan drugs

With 2020 worldwide sales forecast at $178 billion, the orphan drug market is expected to grow by 11.7% per year (compound annual growth rate 2015 to 2020), nearly doubling the yearly growth of the overall prescription drug market.

Moreover, worldwide orphan drug sales will account for 20.2% of worldwide prescription sales by 2020 (excluding generics), according to the “EvaluatePharma Orphan Drug Report 2015” from life science market intelligence firm Evaluate Ltd.

“For three years, Evaluate has tracked the trajectory of this specialty market, which has achieved almost 12% annual growth, said Andreas Hadjivasiliou, report author and EvaluatePharma analyst. “Up until now, orphan drug developers have managed to defend the cost of these life-changing drugs but with the increasing scrutiny over drug costs and the growing number of designations awarded, orphan drug developers will have to continue to innovate and demonstrate how their products can help reduce the overall healthcare budget,” he noted.