Why are medicine prices so high?

Some are led to believe that originator drugs must be more superior than generics in terms of quality, efficacy and safety, and are therefore willing to pay a much higher price for the originator even if they were told about the existence of its generic counterpart. 

In Malaysia, after the successful registration of a drug patent, a product will usually enjoy a period of 20 years of market exclusivity. When the originator drug is still under intellectual property protection, it may be the market’s only option for a particular disease, and this is when the price a drug can fetch is usually at its peak.