US price increases for orphan meds correlated with non-orphan use; report

Many orphan drugs on the US market today are used to treat common, non-orphan conditions, and that’s making them more expensive for patients and the health care system, according to a new report from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).

The report shows how non-orphan use may be influencing price increases, a trend that could jeopardize the affordability of important, life-saving orphan drug medications for patients with rare diseases and conditions.

The analysis looked at a sample of 46 orphan drugs available from 2012 to 2014 and found only a handful were used exclusively for the rare orphan disease they were developed to treat. As these medications are increasingly prescribed for conditions beyond their original orphan indication, on-label or off-label, their already high prices increased by upwards of 37% on average while generating blockbuster profits for drug companies. This report looked at only 46 drugs; with 500 orphan drugs on the market, the widespread economic impact on the health system would be massive, says AHIP.