From a study looking at cost-effectiveness of tafamidis:
> Orphan drugs enjoy substantial pricing power because there are few or no therapeutic competitors. As a result, discounts off the list price, if any, tend to be small. In a recent study of 50 patients receiving tafamidis, the mean (SD) cost of a 30-day supply was $23,485 ($2); the resulting annual cost of $281,820 is greater than the $225,000 list price we assumed. In fact, U.S. prices for specialty pharmaceuticals typically experience substantial year-on-year price increases during the period of market exclusivity.
I mean, we shouldn't be surprised what happens to prices when the law goes out of its way to create a monopoly.
To put a different perspective, the average American income in 1925 was $5,425. So buying a Model T (Touring) at that time would cost you 4.7% of your yearly salary.
In 2023-2024, the average car price was $48,274, and the median income was $80,610. It now costs a whopping 60% of your yearly salary.
> The Ford Model T sold for $260 in 1925, which is $4,056 in 2021 dollars.
I'm not sure I buy this conversion. It was targeting the middle classes (and on credit), and middle classes in 2025 could buy that cash. Working classes in 2025 could probably buy that cash, and definitely on credit.
The 1922 price list looks solid though, it's from a dedicated 1920s 'fan' site, but, again, I haven't personally verified or cross checked the numbers - it just seemed like an interesting bit of info to chase :)
You are missing the point, poster should have said 200 years ago. The point is that these treatments cost so much because they must be invented and tested. About 50% of that drug cost is the invention, 50% is the testing (in clinical trials) and .0000000001% is the cost to manufacture.