7 blockbuster drugs that could get cheaper soon

Nothing cuts a drug’s price like competition. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report found that a drug’s wholesale price drops an average of 39% after one single generic drug competitor enters the market. With four generic competitors, a drug’s price plummets 79%. These cuts result in billions of dollars in savings for American consumers.

But before generic versions of a drug can enter the market, a drug manufacturer’s patent must first expire.

Here are some of the world’s best-selling drugs whose patents are expiring by 2030.

The U.S. patent for Eli Lilly’s pre-Ozempic GLP-1 drug Trulicity is set to expire in 2027. The drug was first approved by the FDA in 2014 and is used to help control blood sugar levels and help with heart health in people with type 2 diabetes. In 2023, Trulicity was the company’s best selling drug, generating $7 billion in revenue. It’s current list price is $980 a month.

The patent for Pfizer’s breast cancer drug Ibrance — first approved by the FDA in 2016 — expires in 2027. It was one of Pfizer’s best-performing drugs in 2023, generating $4.7 billion in sales. The cost for 21 capsules of Ibrance is over $15,000.

Regeneron and Bayer’s Eylea franchise generated $5.9 billion in revenue in 2023. The medication is used to treat several eye conditions including wet age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy plus diabetic and nondiabetic macular edema. Its wholesale cost is over $2,000 per vial. According to Regeneron, patents on the drug’s formulation will start to expire in 2027.

Stelara, used to treat plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis, was Johnson & Johnson’s best-selling drug in 2023. It generated $10.9 billion in revenue last year. The list price for Stelara is $25,400 every 2 months. The patent for Stelara expired in 2023, but due to settlements Johnson & Johnson doesn’t expect generic competition until 2025.

The blood thinner Eliquis was Bristol Myers Squibb’s highest revenue-generating medication last year. It generated $12.9 billion in sales in 2023. Bristol Myers Squibb doesn’t expect to lose exclusive rights to the drug until 2026. However, it is also one of the 10 drugs that are subject to Medicare price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act. The drug’s reduced price will be announced later this year and go into effect in 2026. The list price for an annual supply of Eliquis is $7,200.

Keytruda was the best-selling drug in the world. Sales of the medication rose 19% to $25 billion last year. The U.S. Food and Drug first approved Keytruda in 2014 to treat melanoma. Since then, it has received approval to treat several types of cancers including lung cancer and carcinoma. The list price for Keytruda starts at $11,000. Its patent expires in 2028.