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Multiple Myeloma Drug Prices: How Celgene Profited From Revlimid and Thalidomide
Multiple Myeloma Drug Prices: How Celgene Profited From Revlimid and Thalidomide. Have you ever wondered why MM drug prices are so high? Learn about Celgene’s pricing practices, lawsuits, generic competition, and how drug costs affect multiple myeloma patients and survivors.
“Celgene charges up to $500 per capsule for the drugs (Thalidomide, Revlimid), and has taken in $17.1 billion selling them (to MM patients and survivors) from 2009 to 2013, the suit claimed.”
Considering that Celgene has made over 17 billion (B) from the sale of Thalidomide and Revlimid to multiple myeloma (MM) patients and survivors, a 55 million fine for any wrongdoing is a pittance.
MM patients and survivors need to remember that cancer is a business. In the case of selling MM therapies, it is a lucrative business.
Having said that, I need to go on record as saying that I don’t believe drug companies such as Celgene are evil. I believe that creating, testing, selling drugs should be a for-profit business.
As a business person myself in my pre-MM life, I believe that capitalism can work well. I’m simply writing this blog post to draw attention to Celgene not playing by the rules.
Generic drug-“A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was originally protected by patents…”
Getty Images
Thalidomide-“Thalidomide, sold under the brand name Thalomid and Inmunoprin, among others, is an immunomodulatory drug and the prototype of the thalidomide class of drugs.”
Lenalidomide-“Lenalidomide (trade name Revlimid) is a derivative of thalidomide approved in the United States in 2005….It costs $163,381 per year for the average patient.[3]
Have you been diagnosed with multiple myeloma? To learn more about evidence-based therapies shown to enhance the efficacy of both Thalidomide and Revlimid, scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
Thank you,
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Multiple Myeloma Drug Prices
What makes this cancer drug so expensive?
Why Are Multiple Myeloma Drugs So Expensive?
Multiple myeloma drugs are exceptionally expensive—often costing $100,000 to over $300,000 annually—because of prolonged treatment durations, complex combination therapies, and a lack of market competition. Because the disease is chronic, patients rely on long-term drug regimens, granting drugmakers sustained, high pricing power. [1, 2, 3]
What Is Revlimid?
Revlimid (lenalidomide) is a prescription oral immunomodulatory medication used to treat blood cancers like multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and certain types of lymphoma. It works by helping your immune system recognize and destroy cancer cells while preventing tumors from growing. [1, 2]
How Drug Costs Create Financial Toxicity
Drug costs create financial toxicity in the US by imposing crushing out-of-pocket expenses that force patients to choose between healthcare and basic needs. This financial distress frequently leads to “cost-related nonadherence”—where patients skip doses, split pills, or abandon treatments entirely, directly compromising their health outcomes. [1, 2, 3, 4]
What Multiple Myeloma Patients Can Do
Multiple Myeloma patients can achieve long-term remission and improve their quality of life by actively participating in their care. Key steps include undergoing treatment combinations (such as targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and stem cell transplants), managing bone health and fatigue, and adopting healthy lifestyle changes. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Why Is Revlimid So Expensive?
Revlimid is expensive because of patent protections, limited competition, specialty distribution systems, and repeated price increases over many years. Critics argue these factors contributed to high treatment costs for multiple myeloma patients.
Thalidomide vs Revlimid
Create a comparison table:
| Feature | Thalidomide | Revlimid |
|---|---|---|
| Year introduced | Earlier generation | Next-generation IMiD |
| Neuropathy risk | Higher | Lower |
| Blood count suppression | Lower | Higher |
| Cost | Lower | Much higher |
| Common use | Selected patients | Standard therapy |
Celgene to Pay $55M to Settle Claims It Fixed Prices of Cancer Drugs
The drugmaker was accused of antitrust violations for allegedly interfering with development of generic versions of two of its drugs.
“Drugmaker Celgene has agreed to pay $55 million to settle a class action lawsuit accusing it of violating antitrust laws by interfering with the development of generic versions of two of its cancer drugs.
Plaintiffs in the class action, a group of labor unions and other end payers, moved Wednesday for preliminary approval of the settlement. The suit claimed Celgene repeatedly hiked the prices of its drugs Thalomid and Revlimid while pursuing an anti-competitive scheme against at least 11 makers of generic drugs…
Celgene charges up to $500 per capsule for the drugs, and has taken in $17.1 billion selling them from 2009 to 2013, the suit claimed…
Thalomid is also known as thalidomide, which was developed in the 1950s as a treatment for morning sickness in pregnant women, but it was taken off the U.S. market in 1962 after it was found to cause severe birth defects.
It was approved in 1998 as a treatment for leprosy, and more recently was used in conjunction with steroids to treat multiple myeloma.
Revlimid is similar to Thalomid and is also used for myeloma. Approval in 1998 was contingent on participation in the REMS program to ensure pregnant women do not use the drugs.
The Thalomid and Revlimid litigation claimed Celgene violated the Clayton Act and Sherman Act, and raised various antitrust, unfair trade practices and unjust enrichment claims under the laws of several states…
Generic equivalents of Thalomid and Revlimid were delayed for years due to the conduct of Celgene, the suit claimed.
The settlement class consists of people or entitles who paid the purchase price of Thalomid or Revlimid in California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island or Tennessee, for consumption by themselves, their families, or their members, employees, insureds, participants or beneficiaries.
Whitney Street, a Block & Leviton partner who worked on the case, said in a statement, “We are pleased to have obtained a substantial recovery on behalf of cancer patients and other parties that bear the skyrocketing cost of these lifesaving drugs.”
Multiple Myeloma Drug Prices
To learn more:
- Medical Debt and Multiple Myeloma
- Cancer Grants and Financial Assistance Programs
- Cancer Financial Navigators
- Appealing Insurance Denials After Cancer
- Multiple Myeloma Survivor Second Opinion
- Myeloma Diet
- Top Multiple Myeloma Hospitals
- End Stage Multiple Myeloma Choices
Recommended Reading:
- Nutrition as Cancer Therapy Before, During After Therapy
- Gut Health Leads Multiple Myeloma to MRD- Status
- Second Opinion from a Long-Term Multiple Myeloma Survivor, Cancer Coach
Multiple Myeloma Drug Prices Multiple Myeloma Drug Prices