The World's Ten Best-Selling Drugs On the same week I attended the APhA expo, Forbes magazine reported that 2005 global sales of prescription drugs exceeded $600 billion. Staggering, isn't it? The Forbes article is titled "The World's Ten Best-Selling Drugs," and it contains a couple comments that are too good to let pass. I wonder if the authors of the article are aware of the unintentional humor in this sentence: "Another difficulty for big pharma: There are lots of $1 billion drugs, but few mega-blockbusters." Hey what are you going to do? Times are tough. All those billion dollar babies, but a sad shortage of mega-blockbusters. I expect international arms dealers and oil company executives read that comment and wondered why drug company execs even bother with such small potatoes. Other items of note in the Top Ten: - Once again (for the fifth year in a row), cholesterol-lowering Lipitor is the champ, coming in at number one with nearly $13 billion in sales
- On the bottom of the list is the anti-depressant Effexor, somehow squeaking by with just $3.8 billion in sales for 2005
- Most surprising (and disturbing): Two drugs in the top ten - Zyprexa and Risperdal - are designed to treat schizophrenia
The Forbes article also speculates on some promising up-and-coming drugs. For instance, an anti-obesity drug called Acomplia has hit a delay in the FDA approval process. The drug works by blocking a brain receptor that prompts hunger. But its effectiveness in blocking what one doctor calls the "happy receptor" results in side effects that include heightened anxiety. Prediman K. Shah, M.D., of Cedars Sinai Medical Center told Forbes that the drug may have an "adverse impact on depression or suicide." But the authors add that Dr. Shah is "nonetheless very excited about the pill." Obviously his happy receptor isn't blocked. Sources:
"The World's Ten Best-Selling Drugs" Matthew Herper, Peter Kang, Forbes, 3/22/06, forbes.com
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