25 most expensive hospital drugs

Keytruda (pembrolizumab) was nonfederal hospitals' costliest drug expense in 2023, according to research published April 24 in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy

In 2021 and 2022, COVID-19 drug Veklury (remdesivir) was the No. 1 pharmaceutical expense for the nation's hospitals. Most medicines on the list saw modest changes from the prior year except for TNKase (tenecteplase), a cardiovascular therapy that cost hospitals 87.9% more in 2023. 

The research calculated healthcare drug expenditure among three factors: a drug's list price, newly approved drugs and utilization.

The top 25 drugs ranked by nonfederal hospital expenditure in 2023:

Pembrolizumab — $1.4 billion (4.4% change from 2022)

Immune globulin — $1 billion (-5.1% change)

Remdesivir — $727,409,000 (-45% change)

Bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir/alafenamide — $643,390,000 (18.9% change)

Sugammadex — $636,441,000 (23.9% change)

Pneumococcal vaccine conjugate — $585,635,000 (29.5% change)

Daratumumab/hyaluronidase — $584,128,000 (17.4% change)

Nivolumab — $551,518,000 (-6.4% change)

Inactivated influenza virus — $541,415,000 (-10% change)

Natalizumab — $503,380,000 (-12.8% change)

Ocrelizumab — $499,917,000 (-0.2% change)

Rituximab — $483,858,000 (-12.9% change)

Sodium intravenous solutions — $483,290,000 (8.2% change)

Antithymocyte immunoglobulin — $481,304,000 (6.5% change)

Alteplase — $475,445,000 (-24.2% change)

Denosumab — $430,814,000 (-0.1% change)

Iohexol — $358,330,000 (14.5% change)

Factor II/factor VII/ factor IX/factor x/protein C/protein S — $329,253,000 (10.2% change)

Vedolizumab — $312,172,000 (-2.1% change)

Tenecteplase — $311,081,000 (87.9% change)

Bupivacaine — $308,309,000 (-14.2% change)

Albumin — $308,166,000 (-11.3% change)

Iopamidol — $302,470,000 (-2.4% change)

Infliximab — $300,332,000 (-23.6% change)

Pegfilgrastim — $299,326,000 (-22.1% change)

 

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars