Category/example	Effect on price*
Limited or no alternatives
Calcium disodium versenate for lead poisoning	Increased from $950 to $27,000 per course of treatment, over three years6
Ponatinib (Iclusig) for chronic myeloid leukemia	Increased from $124,200 to $199,000 for 12 months of treatment, over one year7
Pyrimethamine (Daraprim) for toxoplasmosis	Increased from $13.50 to $750 per tablet, overnight5
Older products with few producers
Colchicine	$0.10 to $5.00 per dose after production was limited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to one manufacturer8
Epinephrine autoinjector (Epipen)	Increased from $50 to $300 per dose over the past six years4
Isoproterenol (Isuprel)	Increased from $180 to $1,472 per dose, overnight5
Nitroprusside (Nitropress)	Increased from $215 to $1,346 per dose, overnight5
Penicillamine (Cuprimine)	Increased from $9 to $1,200 per pill, overnight, resulting in a treatment cost of $3,600 to $7,200 per day5,9
Same product, different use
Doxycycline, 40-mg sustained release for rosacea vs. 100-mg immediate release	$16 vs. $0.76 per dose10
Iodoquinol/aloe polysaccharide (Aloquin) gel for eczema	Increased from $30 to $3,600 for a 60-g tube11
Single producer, no generic available
Insulin lispro (Humalog)	Increased from $12 to $105 per cartridge10,12
Pregabalin (Lyrica)	Increased from $135 to $388 per month10,12
Evergreening (minor changes to existing drugs to gain patent exclusivity)
Ortho Tri-Cyclen to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo	Blocked generic substitution; dropped from some insurance plans
Oxycontin reformulation	Blocked generic substitution
Venlafaxine (Effexor) to sustained release (Effexor XR) to desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)	Increased from $25 to $330 per month10
Pay for delay (paying generics manufacturers not to sell a generic version)
Esomeprazole (Nexium)	Generic version delayed six years
Lidocaine patch	No generic version of Lidoderm
Oxymorphone, extended release	No generic version of Opana ER