Most Expensive Diseases and Medical Conditions | STDLabs
Date: February 16th, 2018
Viral Hepatitis strains A, B, C are becoming more and more common as the years pass. It is estimated that around 257 million people have Hepatitis B while a lower but still shocking 71 million people have Hepatitis C. In 2016 alone, around $14.8 billion were generated by Gilead Sciences from selling Hepatitis C treatments and doing the Hepatitis C testing. This amount grows annually around 7%-10% making it one of the most expensive diseases.
By the end of 2020, drugs aimed at treating respiratory diseases will generate between $53 billion to $56 billion in sales. These drugs are the ones used to address medical conditions like asthma, allergies, and COPD. The medicine for asthma alone is anticipated to generate $2.7 billion by 2020.
All of these numbers are significant increases from their past profits.
According to current estimates for 2020, somewhere between $73 billion and $76 billion will be earned by companies who produce drugs that treat cardiovascular diseases. These are the drugs that treat conditions like hypertension, cholesterol, and heart disease.
Johnson & Johnson reported that Xarelto, its top selling cardiovascular drug, made nearly $5 billion dollars in 2016.
Pain, Diabetes, and Cancer
It is no surprise that diabetes is one of the most expensive diseases currently. They are generating sales around $107 billion and are projected to have increased to $113 billion by 2020.
Similarly, cancer treatments grow anywhere from 9%-12% annually and are projected to reach somewhere between $100 billion and $120 billion by 2020.
While not necessarily considered one of the most expensive diseases, pain drugs are certainly an avenue for major pharmaceutical companies to make a significant amount of profit. By 2020, companies producing medications for anesthesia, arthritis, and migraines will have accrued sales somewhere around $85 billion.
Medical treatments are becoming increasingly expensive. The best way to avoid unnecessary medical expenses is to have regular checkups and keep