singular_me
23rd January 2017, 05:04 PM
The case exposed in the article below is most likely seldom but still: if they can sell hep C treatment for 900 dollars in India, while it sells in the US for 84,000... do the math.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/New-Hepatitis-C-drug-99-cheaper-in-India/articleshow/39719323.cms
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Company Raises the Price of a Drug That Fights Infant Epilepsy by 85,000%
http://www.orrazz.com/2017/01/company-raises-price-of-drug-that.html''
23 January 2017 GMT
The drug in question is meant to treat infantile epilepsy, specifically a rare form of it called infantile spasms. Usually, this condition manifests before the first birthday of babies that have cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, or other such health problems. It affects only an estimated 2,000 to 2,500 children a year in the U.S. — quite a small market for a specialized drug.
Acthar Gel, a hormone injection used to treat infantile spasms, was acquired by Mallinckrodt when it bought Questor Pharmaceuticals in 2014. Before Questor bought the drug in 2001, it sold for $40 a vial. In 2012, under Questor, the price was raised to $28,000 a vial. After Mallinckrodt acquired the drug from Questor, the price went up even higher to $34,000 per vial. This inflated pricing generated more than $1 billion in revenue for Mallinckrodt in 2015.
In order to maximize their profits from this specialized drug, Mallinckrodt snuffed out its only competition, Synacthen, a drug long used outside of the U.S. to treat infantile spasms. After buying the rights to Synacthen, Mallinckrodt locked the drug away, ensuring a monopoly on drug treatment for this rare condition.
Despite the lawsuit settlement, Mallinckrodt still claims no wrongdoing, arguing that because Acthar Gel and Synacthen are two drugs that work differently to treat the same condition, developing the latter would be difficult. “The company argued in its statement that the resources necessary to develop Synacthen in the U.S. would be considerable and pointed out that trials could be difficult to conduct because patients would have to forego a known treatment, Acthar,” according to Carolyn Y. Johnson of The Washington Post.
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Maker of $34,000-a-vial drug to pay $100 million for allegedly preventing competition
By Carolyn Y. Johnson January 18
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/01/18/maker-of-34000-a-vial-drug-to-pay-100-million-for-allegedly-preventing-competition/?utm_term=.e95ea2a857b9
https://www.davidicke.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/906322_10152351433698842_4412755217748094135_o-1-2.jpg
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/New-Hepatitis-C-drug-99-cheaper-in-India/articleshow/39719323.cms
=======================
Company Raises the Price of a Drug That Fights Infant Epilepsy by 85,000%
http://www.orrazz.com/2017/01/company-raises-price-of-drug-that.html''
23 January 2017 GMT
The drug in question is meant to treat infantile epilepsy, specifically a rare form of it called infantile spasms. Usually, this condition manifests before the first birthday of babies that have cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, or other such health problems. It affects only an estimated 2,000 to 2,500 children a year in the U.S. — quite a small market for a specialized drug.
Acthar Gel, a hormone injection used to treat infantile spasms, was acquired by Mallinckrodt when it bought Questor Pharmaceuticals in 2014. Before Questor bought the drug in 2001, it sold for $40 a vial. In 2012, under Questor, the price was raised to $28,000 a vial. After Mallinckrodt acquired the drug from Questor, the price went up even higher to $34,000 per vial. This inflated pricing generated more than $1 billion in revenue for Mallinckrodt in 2015.
In order to maximize their profits from this specialized drug, Mallinckrodt snuffed out its only competition, Synacthen, a drug long used outside of the U.S. to treat infantile spasms. After buying the rights to Synacthen, Mallinckrodt locked the drug away, ensuring a monopoly on drug treatment for this rare condition.
Despite the lawsuit settlement, Mallinckrodt still claims no wrongdoing, arguing that because Acthar Gel and Synacthen are two drugs that work differently to treat the same condition, developing the latter would be difficult. “The company argued in its statement that the resources necessary to develop Synacthen in the U.S. would be considerable and pointed out that trials could be difficult to conduct because patients would have to forego a known treatment, Acthar,” according to Carolyn Y. Johnson of The Washington Post.
==================
Maker of $34,000-a-vial drug to pay $100 million for allegedly preventing competition
By Carolyn Y. Johnson January 18
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/01/18/maker-of-34000-a-vial-drug-to-pay-100-million-for-allegedly-preventing-competition/?utm_term=.e95ea2a857b9
https://www.davidicke.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/906322_10152351433698842_4412755217748094135_o-1-2.jpg