Martin Shkreli, the founder and chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals recently purchased the rights to Daraprim and immediately increased the cost from $13.50 to $750 per pill. When asked why, he replied, the company needs to make a profit. He also admitted that it cost about $1.00 per pill to make it.
How can this be justified? How can he sleep at night?
This is on Bloomberg's web site.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Here is the latest list of sources for purchasing 60 of these--$46, 000 and up.
http://www.goodrx.com/daraprim
Shkreli, greed-infested lowlife b a s t a r d that he is, has probably priced himself out of any significant business with this drug. I hope so.
His Wikipedia entry contains this nugget; I kid you not:
In his previous life, he was Hitler. In 2000, Shkreli began working for Jim Cramer at Cramer, Berkowitz, & Co. He then spent three years at Intrepid Capital Management working in healthcare stock-picking under Steve Shapiro, a "Tiger Cub" and protégé of Julian Robertson of Tiger Management.>>>
Also from Wiki:
"In September 2015, he was criticized by several public health organizations for obtaining patents to life-saving medicines like pyrimethamine (brand name Daraprim) and increasing the prices of the drugs in the US, sometimes by more than 5000%. Pyrimethamine is listed in the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, a list of the most important medications needed in a basic health system. He was accused of manipulating the price and taking these basic drugs out of of reach of millions of needy patients worldwide."
Hell awaits.
Below is a photo of the beady-eyed, sleazy, vile, greed-infested, misanthropic corrupt Shkreli. Read more about his sorry personal history and other scandalous increases in drug prices.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09...id=fb-share&_r=0
Eff him.
Gee jt, I'd think you'd admire him.
Big Price Increase for Tuberculosis Drug Is Rescinded
Nothing fishy about it at all.
Toxoplasmosis is considered to be a leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in the United States. More than 60 million men, women, and children in the U.S. carry the Toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness.
However, women newly infected with Toxoplasma during pregnancy and anyone with a compromised immune system should be aware that toxoplasmosis can have severe consequences.
When I saw the article they had it labeled an "aids drug". Like I posted, the story stinks on ice.
Martin Shkreli, the founder and chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals recently purchased the rights to Daraprim and immediately increased the cost from $13.50 to $750 per pill. When asked why, he replied, the company needs to make a profit. He also admitted that it cost about $1.00 per pill to make it.
How can this be justified? How can he sleep at night?
This is on Bloomberg's web site.
_________
1. Supply and demand
2. Ambien
Martin Shkreli, the founder and chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals recently purchased the rights to Daraprim and immediately increased the cost from $13.50 to $750 per pill. When asked why, he replied, the company needs to make a profit. He also admitted that it cost about $1.00 per pill to make it.
How can this be justified? How can he sleep at night?
This is on Bloomberg's web site.
_________
1. Supply and demand
2. Ambien
____
I have no idea where Ambien fits into this discussion. You should elaborate. Prices for Ambien are not anywhere near the scandalous price for Daraprim.
As to supply and demand, supply is a factor of the exclusive control of this drug by Shrkeli's company. The drug has been around since the 1950s, which makes one wonder why it is not available as a generic. Anyone know why?
What is clear is that Shkreli is a greed-infested price gouger taking unethical advantage of
people who desperately need his drug to stay alive. As to Hillary's initiative, if you have better suggestions as to how to control such unconscionable price gouging, then put them up, that is unless you actually consider these price increases in the thousands of percent by Shkreli and other predators to be legitimate and ethical.
From looking from Best's article, Hillary wants to put a Cap on Prescription payout at $250, I guess you have to pick up the remaining $500 cost of the drug, under Obama Care Prescription payments. I don't see all the expensive drugs produced from All the different Prescription Companies, willing to go along with Government Determining Pricing of Drugs, There are more expensive drugs out there than Daraprim, a whole lot more.
As old at Daraprim is, a generic version or alternative should be available somewhere... WebMD may be your source to find Generic version, but that may be why Martin Shkreli bought the rights to Daraprim, because he discovered no one was making a generic version... He may have done his homework for his business.. after all he is in a For Profit Company vs Non-Profit Company...
Best thing to do, is don't use bad judgement that causes Aids/HIV (Self-Inflicted) and you will not need Daraprim and you want have to have this Cost conversation.
From looking from Best's article, Hillary wants to put a Cap on Prescription payout at $250, I guess you have to pick up the remaining $500 cost of the drug, under Obama Care Prescription payments. I don't see all the expensive drugs produced from All the different Prescription Companies, willing to go along with Government Determining Pricing of Drugs, There are more expensive drugs out there than Daraprim, a whole lot more.
As old at Daraprim is, a generic version or alternative should be available somewhere... WebMD may be your source to find Generic version, but that may be why Martin Shkreli bought the rights to Daraprim, because he discovered no one was making a generic version... He may have done his homework for his business.. after all he is in a For Profit Company vs Non-Profit Company...
Best thing to do, is don't use bad judgement that causes Aids/HIV (Self-Inflicted) and you will not need Daraprim and you want have to have this Cost conversation.
___
Check your facts. The drug is used for other purposes than AIDS/HIV therapy. Seems you did not pay much, if any, attention to what I posted earlier, so I will repeat it for you:
"In September 2015, he was criticized by several public health organizations for obtaining patents to life-saving medicines like pyrimethamine (brand name Daraprim) and increasing the prices of the drugs in the US, sometimes by more than 5000%. Pyrimethamine is listed in the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, a list of the most important medications needed in a basic health system. He was accused of manipulating the price and taking these basic drugs out of of reach of millions of needy patients worldwide."
Martin Shkreli, the founder and chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals recently purchased the rights to Daraprim and immediately increased the cost from $13.50 to $750 per pill. When asked why, he replied, the company needs to make a profit. He also admitted that it cost about $1.00 per pill to make it.
How can this be justified? How can he sleep at night?
This is on Bloomberg's web site.
_________
1. Supply and demand
2. Ambien
____
I have no idea where Ambien fits into this discussion. You should elaborate. Prices for Ambien are not anywhere near the scandalous price for Daraprim.
As to supply and demand, supply is a factor of the exclusive control of this drug by Shrkeli's company. The drug has been around since the 1950s, which makes one wonder why it is not available as a generic. Anyone know why?
_____________
I don't know why Daraprim isn't available in generic form.
jtdavis asked two questions in his post and I gave answers.
From looking from Best's article, Hillary wants to put a Cap on Prescription payout at $250, I guess you have to pick up the remaining $500 cost of the drug, under Obama Care Prescription payments. I don't see all the expensive drugs produced from All the different Prescription Companies, willing to go along with Government Determining Pricing of Drugs, There are more expensive drugs out there than Daraprim, a whole lot more.
As old at Daraprim is, a generic version or alternative should be available somewhere... WebMD may be your source to find Generic version, but that may be why Martin Shkreli bought the rights to Daraprim, because he discovered no one was making a generic version... He may have done his homework for his business.. after all he is in a For Profit Company vs Non-Profit Company...
Best thing to do, is don't use bad judgement that causes Aids/HIV (Self-Inflicted) and you will not need Daraprim and you want have to have this Cost conversation.
All I can say to this WOW! As a Conservative I am appalled at what he is doing it is immoral and should be stopped. Many get Aids thru no fault of their own such as blood transfusions etc or born to a infected person. Have it your way and this continues and the legislator will get into the mix and kill the pharma industry just like Obamacare is going to the medical field.
Gee jt, I'd think you'd admire him.
-------------------------
Why do you think that?
Reports say aids is not a death sentence any longer, and that people can live long and healthy lives with it, with treatment. Funny how everything centers on how people get aids, but not much is said about all the other nasty things people get from unprotected sex, or the drug abusers sharing needles. Wonder why that is.
Gee jt, I'd think you'd admire him.
-------------------------
Why do you think that?
Because you think the same way. As long as you "get yours", or more than "yours", you don't care if anyone else has anything.
Condt: I did my homework - You posted what I said; Because, If you had read my 1st post I presented facts for Daraprim, as well, maybe just not from the same source as yours; Below is what I Posted Above:
Because you think the same way. As long as you "get yours", or more than "yours", you don't care if anyone else has anything.
-----------------------
I have attempted to explain, no, I have explained to you that I worked under a contract. I could not take less, I would not get more. Only what the contract called for. You are not capable of understanding that?
Everyone shouldn't worry too much. Eventually someone will take that medicine along with other drugs, both legal and illegal, and wash them all down with a quart or three of vodka. Lawyers of the family of the deceased will get the lowlife hedge fund manager profits. Just another case of bottom feeder cannibalism.
It appears JT may be on to something spreading across the country... The Medical prescription WatchDogs must be out in full Force, on companies who recently bought Drug Rights from other companies like; Turing Pharmaceuticals did with Daraprim...
Here's another company being exposed for buying the rights to a drug and turning around, selling for extreme profits, as well as the company’s failure, to provide services to patients that would help them stay on the drug, said Daniel Hasler, the foundation’s president..( Provide Free medicine for those who can't afford it)
Rodelis Therapeutics had raised the price of the drug, Cycloserine, to $10,800 for a supply of 30 pills, up from about $480 that the Purdue Research Foundation had charged, the foundation said.
The cost for a patient taking the pills twice a day for a year would be $260,000 a year.
If you own a building supply store and a hurricane is coming or has come through and you raise the price of your plywood, you'll get charged with price gouging. In the 1970's, during the Arab gas embargo, the stations that raised prices were charged with price gouging. Why is this any different? Why is he not charged with price gouging? Why don't the medical field "black ball" all that companies products? Notice I said Medical Field, not some law.
If you own a building supply store and a hurricane is coming or has come through and you raise the price of your plywood, you'll get charged with price gouging. In the 1970's, during the Arab gas embargo, the stations that raised prices were charged with price gouging. Why is this any different? Why is he not charged with price gouging? Why don't the medical field "black ball" all that companies products? Notice I said Medical Field, not some law.
____
Better yet--why don't the relatives of people who desperately need his drug and cannot possibly afford it chase down the greedy little weasel and beat him to a bloody pulp?
Cont:Better yet--why don't the relatives of people who desperately need his drug and cannot possibly afford it chase down the greedy little weasel and beat him to a bloody pulp?
------------------------------------
Here's his address:
Now Go Beat the Snot out of that guy..weasel... But before you do, see below:
Turing Pharmaceuticals LLC
Here's Turing Pharmaceuticals Reply: Sounds like they were willing to work on a Case-by-Case to provide Free medicine for those who could not afford payments if uninsured.
Turing States:
**This includes offering the product without charge to qualified, uninsured patients. For insured Medicare patients, we contribute to an independent (OIG-approved) charity that provides for patients’ cost-sharing obligations for toxoplasmosis therapy. For commercially insured patients, we have established a co-pay assistance program.
Our number one concern is ensuring that patients with toxoplasmosis have efficient and affordable access to Daraprim. Information for patients and healthcare providers can be found atwww.daraprimdirect.com or by calling 1-800-222-4991.
Turing acquired Daraprim in August 2015. It is the only FDA-approved treatment for toxoplasmosis, when used in combination with a sulfonamide and leucovorin. We are committed to ensuring easy and affordable access to this important treatment, and our commitment extends to improving the care and treatment of patients who are diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, a very rare disorder.
Some news reports have erroneously said that Daraprim is used to treat cancer and AIDS. It is not. To be clear, Daraprim is approved to treat toxoplasmosis, which affects people with compromised immune systems.
There also have been misleading reports about Daraprim’s cost. The pricing that has been reported is based on 52 weeks of treatment, a duration that is highly unlikely to occur. The median administration for Daraprim therapy is six and 12 weeks, respectively, for toxoplasmosis associated with the acute and suppressive phases for HIV, immune-compromised and other non-retinitis or non-congenital toxoplasmosis patients only. This represents the vast majority of all toxoplasmosis cases.
Toxoplasmosis is a very serious, sometimes deadly disease, yet there have been no significant advances or research into this disease area in decades. For toxoplasmosis and other critical, under-treated diseases, the status quo is not an option. Turing hopes to change that by targeting investments that both improve on the current formulation and seek to develop new therapeutics with better clinical profiles that we hope will help eradicate the disease. This work is being done with the goal of increasing treatment compliance because we know that compliance and adherence are often significant barriers to effective treatment outcomes. We believe we bring a new approach to developing improved treatments for rare diseases and neglected patient populations, and believe that our success will be measured in new treatments that we develop and bring to market.
One of our goals is to increase awareness of this neglected infection and improve patient outcomes through investments in:
Turing will work with any patient, hospital, clinic and financial institution – on a case-by-case basis – to help secure access to Daraprim. We have established a number of financial assistance programs administered by a specialty pharmacy provider to support patients with financial need. This includes offering the product without charge to qualified, uninsured patients. For insured Medicare patients, we contribute to an independent (OIG-approved) charity that provides for patients’ cost-sharing obligations for toxoplasmosis therapy. For commercially insured patients, we have established a co-pay assistance program.
Cont:Better yet--why don't the relatives of people who desperately need his drug and cannot possibly afford it chase down the greedy little weasel and beat him to a bloody pulp?
------------------------------------
Here's his address:
Now Go Beat the Snot out of that guy..weasel... But before you do, see below:
Turing Pharmaceuticals LLC
Here's Turing Pharmaceuticals Reply: Sounds like they were willing to work on a Case-by-Case to provide Free medicine for those who could not afford payments if uninsured.
Turing States:
**This includes offering the product without charge to qualified, uninsured patients. For insured Medicare patients, we contribute to an independent (OIG-approved) charity that provides for patients’ cost-sharing obligations for toxoplasmosis therapy. For commercially insured patients, we have established a co-pay assistance program.
Our number one concern is ensuring that patients with toxoplasmosis have efficient and affordable access to Daraprim. Information for patients and healthcare providers can be found atwww.daraprimdirect.com or by calling 1-800-222-4991.
Turing acquired Daraprim in August 2015. It is the only FDA-approved treatment for toxoplasmosis, when used in combination with a sulfonamide and leucovorin. We are committed to ensuring easy and affordable access to this important treatment, and our commitment extends to improving the care and treatment of patients who are diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, a very rare disorder.
Some news reports have erroneously said that Daraprim is used to treat cancer and AIDS. It is not. To be clear, Daraprim is approved to treat toxoplasmosis, which affects people with compromised immune systems.
There also have been misleading reports about Daraprim’s cost. The pricing that has been reported is based on 52 weeks of treatment, a duration that is highly unlikely to occur. The median administration for Daraprim therapy is six and 12 weeks, respectively, for toxoplasmosis associated with the acute and suppressive phases for HIV, immune-compromised and other non-retinitis or non-congenital toxoplasmosis patients only. This represents the vast majority of all toxoplasmosis cases.
Toxoplasmosis is a very serious, sometimes deadly disease, yet there have been no significant advances or research into this disease area in decades. For toxoplasmosis and other critical, under-treated diseases, the status quo is not an option. Turing hopes to change that by targeting investments that both improve on the current formulation and seek to develop new therapeutics with better clinical profiles that we hope will help eradicate the disease. This work is being done with the goal of increasing treatment compliance because we know that compliance and adherence are often significant barriers to effective treatment outcomes. We believe we bring a new approach to developing improved treatments for rare diseases and neglected patient populations, and believe that our success will be measured in new treatments that we develop and bring to market.
One of our goals is to increase awareness of this neglected infection and improve patient outcomes through investments in:
Turing will work with any patient, hospital, clinic and financial institution – on a case-by-case basis – to help secure access to Daraprim. We have established a number of financial assistance programs administered by a specialty pharmacy provider to support patients with financial need. This includes offering the product without charge to qualified, uninsured patients. For insured Medicare patients, we contribute to an independent (OIG-approved) charity that provides for patients’ cost-sharing obligations for toxoplasmosis therapy. For commercially insured patients, we have established a co-pay assistance program.
___
Spin-spin-spin! All big pharmaceutical companies have programs to provide drugs for those who can not afford them. The company's propaganda document says nothing about the amount of co-pay that would be involved with insurance arrangements for this drug and likely that amount has not yet been established by insurors, since this greedy price hike just went into effect. I do not foresee Blue Cross, Humana, or others coughing up sufficiently huge insurance payments to Greed & Co. to make even the co-payment for Daraprim amount affordable to people of average means. Dalaprim
Cont:Better yet--why don't the relatives of people who desperately need his drug and cannot possibly afford it chase down the greedy little weasel and beat him to a bloody pulp?
------------------------------------
Here's his address:
Now Go Beat the Snot out of that guy..weasel... But before you do, see below:
Turing Pharmaceuticals LLC
Here's Turing Pharmaceuticals Reply: Sounds like they were willing to work on a Case-by-Case to provide Free medicine for those who could not afford payments if uninsured.
Turing States:
**This includes offering the product without charge to qualified, uninsured patients. For insured Medicare patients, we contribute to an independent (OIG-approved) charity that provides for patients’ cost-sharing obligations for toxoplasmosis therapy. For commercially insured patients, we have established a co-pay assistance program.
Our number one concern is ensuring that patients with toxoplasmosis have efficient and affordable access to Daraprim. Information for patients and healthcare providers can be found atwww.daraprimdirect.com or by calling 1-800-222-4991.
Turing acquired Daraprim in August 2015. It is the only FDA-approved treatment for toxoplasmosis, when used in combination with a sulfonamide and leucovorin. We are committed to ensuring easy and affordable access to this important treatment, and our commitment extends to improving the care and treatment of patients who are diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, a very rare disorder.
Some news reports have erroneously said that Daraprim is used to treat cancer and AIDS. It is not. To be clear, Daraprim is approved to treat toxoplasmosis, which affects people with compromised immune systems.
There also have been misleading reports about Daraprim’s cost. The pricing that has been reported is based on 52 weeks of treatment, a duration that is highly unlikely to occur. The median administration for Daraprim therapy is six and 12 weeks, respectively, for toxoplasmosis associated with the acute and suppressive phases for HIV, immune-compromised and other non-retinitis or non-congenital toxoplasmosis patients only. This represents the vast majority of all toxoplasmosis cases.
Toxoplasmosis is a very serious, sometimes deadly disease, yet there have been no significant advances or research into this disease area in decades. For toxoplasmosis and other critical, under-treated diseases, the status quo is not an option. Turing hopes to change that by targeting investments that both improve on the current formulation and seek to develop new therapeutics with better clinical profiles that we hope will help eradicate the disease. This work is being done with the goal of increasing treatment compliance because we know that compliance and adherence are often significant barriers to effective treatment outcomes. We believe we bring a new approach to developing improved treatments for rare diseases and neglected patient populations, and believe that our success will be measured in new treatments that we develop and bring to market.
One of our goals is to increase awareness of this neglected infection and improve patient outcomes through investments in:
Turing will work with any patient, hospital, clinic and financial institution – on a case-by-case basis – to help secure access to Daraprim. We have established a number of financial assistance programs administered by a specialty pharmacy provider to support patients with financial need. This includes offering the product without charge to qualified, uninsured patients. For insured Medicare patients, we contribute to an independent (OIG-approved) charity that provides for patients’ cost-sharing obligations for toxoplasmosis therapy. For commercially insured patients, we have established a co-pay assistance program.
________________________________________________________
I might note that "the weasel" has a foundation:
Founded in early 2015, the Shkreli Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to helping people facing a variety of adversities. We are passionate about making charitable contributions to pioneering causes, especially within the medical community. One of the Foundation’s major goals is supporting those who raise awareness about unknown or underrepresented serious conditions.
Martin Shkreli is the Founder and President of the Shkreli Foundation, a private and charitable non-profit organization. Martin is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Turing Pharmaceuticals AG, and was previously the Founder and CEO of Retrophin, Inc. His extensive research on life-threatening diseases had a profound influence on his philanthropic efforts. Witnessing the patients’ pain, deteriorating health and impact on their loved ones, Martin was determined to make a difference. He is committed to finding ways to improve QOL (“quality of life&rdquo
, extending the concept beyond medicine and benefiting a variety of causes.
Contributions
If the clarification of pricing by the press release is correct, I suspect that someone was fishing for a political moment and the gullible have been had again. I am also curious if Rodelis Therapeutics accepted the same amount it paid Purdue Research Foundation for the rights to Cycloserine. If so, I suspect the gullible among us have been fooled twice.
Best bet here is that a pharmaceutical company in the US starts manufacturing the generic version. The drug is no longer patent protected. Then, undercuts Turing. Congress could help by allowing importation of the generic from reputable companies. Here one must be careful, US companies caught hell for pricing AIDS drugs above that of Indian versions, although still much cheaper than in US. Later, tests showed the Indian versions were fake -- no therapeutic value.
Best bet here is that a pharmaceutical company in the US starts manufacturing the generic version. The drug is no longer patent protected. Then, undercuts Turing. Congress could help by allowing importation of the generic from reputable companies. Here one must be careful, US companies caught hell for pricing AIDS drugs above that of Indian versions, although still much cheaper than in US. Later, tests showed the Indian versions were fake -- no therapeutic value.
_________________________________________________________
I believe we already import some drugs from overseas, so competition will bankrupt Turing if they don't lower their prices. I do suspect that the foreign imports will still cost more than $13.50 per pill to cover the liability insurance for the winners of the lawsuit lotto system we have:
In the UK, the same drug is currently sold by GSK at a cost of £13 for 30 tablets.
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34322720
China has surpassed the United States as the world's largest manufacturer of bulk drugs, vitamins and nutritional supplements and is now exporting a large portion of its production to the United States. Tens of millions of American consumers have no idea that the majority of the over-the-counter drugs they are purchasing now originate in China, where there are "relatively few regulations related to pharmaceutical exports in comparison to industrialized economies," according to a report commissioned by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The increasing dependence on China for active pharmaceutical ingredients and nutritional supplements "presents a range of issues for concern."
In 2008, China produced $25.7 billion worth of bulk drugs (up 23 percent from 2007), and exported $17.6 billion of that output (an increase of 30 percent over 2007). "For many years, China has been exporting more than half of its bulk drug products to nearly 200 countries," according to the study by NSD Bio Group. "As a result, China-sourced raw ingredients have a growing impact on the global pharmaceutical market."
The country is now the world's largest producer of acetominophen used in Contac, Benadryl, Excedrin, Sudafed, Theraflu and Vicks, among others. It is the world's major producer of Vitamin C, exporting 90 percent of its annual production of more than 100,000 tons.
The United States needs two tons of heparin per month. Seventy percent of that is sourced from China, says the study. Tainted Chinese heparin (made from pig intestines and used as a blood thinner) supplied to Baxter International caused the death of 81 Americans in early 2008. After a fall-off of heparin exports in 2008, "the situation has changed in 2009," says the study. "Heparin exports for the first quarter of 2009 increased 155 percent compared to the first quarter of 2008. The price of heparin also doubled (to $4,354 per kilogram) in the first quarter of 2009."
China accounted for 61 percent of all ibuprofen sold into the U.S. market in 2008, with its product used in Advil, Aleve and Motrin, among others. More than 90 percent of the tetracycline supplied to the United States and used in most antibiotics is now supplied from China.
I think it is despicable. I did read something from one of the medical journals how this guy, and others like him, are justifying their actions. According to them they are reflecting the medical savings costs caused by the drug itself. For instance in AIDs it might typically costs $20K per month to care for these people without the meds, but the medication can now be purchased for $15K, which makes for a savings of $5K. According to them, since EVERYBODY is now supposed to have insurance, and insurance cannot deny coverage based on previous illness, then insurance should be available to cover these meds. Again, thanks for the ACA which has taken greed and predatory attitudes to new heights.
They are also trying to create buffers for presumed lawsuits, since even today almost every medication which is made is fraught with some form of lawsuit due to "side effects".
This guy has a special place in hell reserved for him, but he won't be alone. He can take comfort in the fact that despicable lawyers, politicians and insurance executives will be sharing space.
Cont:Better yet--why don't the relatives of people who desperately need his drug and cannot possibly afford it chase down the greedy little weasel and beat him to a bloody pulp?
------------------------------------
Here's his address:
Now Go Beat the Snot out of that guy..weasel... But before you do, see below:
Turing Pharmaceuticals LLC
Here's Turing Pharmaceuticals Reply: Sounds like they were willing to work on a Case-by-Case to provide Free medicine for those who could not afford payments if uninsured.
Turing States:
**This includes offering the product without charge to qualified, uninsured patients. For insured Medicare patients, we contribute to an independent (OIG-approved) charity that provides for patients’ cost-sharing obligations for toxoplasmosis therapy. For commercially insured patients, we have established a co-pay assistance program.
Our number one concern is ensuring that patients with toxoplasmosis have efficient and affordable access to Daraprim. Information for patients and healthcare providers can be found atwww.daraprimdirect.com or by calling 1-800-222-4991.
Turing acquired Daraprim in August 2015. It is the only FDA-approved treatment for toxoplasmosis, when used in combination with a sulfonamide and leucovorin. We are committed to ensuring easy and affordable access to this important treatment, and our commitment extends to improving the care and treatment of patients who are diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, a very rare disorder.
Some news reports have erroneously said that Daraprim is used to treat cancer and AIDS. It is not. To be clear, Daraprim is approved to treat toxoplasmosis, which affects people with compromised immune systems.
There also have been misleading reports about Daraprim’s cost. The pricing that has been reported is based on 52 weeks of treatment, a duration that is highly unlikely to occur. The median administration for Daraprim therapy is six and 12 weeks, respectively, for toxoplasmosis associated with the acute and suppressive phases for HIV, immune-compromised and other non-retinitis or non-congenital toxoplasmosis patients only. This represents the vast majority of all toxoplasmosis cases.
Toxoplasmosis is a very serious, sometimes deadly disease, yet there have been no significant advances or research into this disease area in decades. For toxoplasmosis and other critical, under-treated diseases, the status quo is not an option. Turing hopes to change that by targeting investments that both improve on the current formulation and seek to develop new therapeutics with better clinical profiles that we hope will help eradicate the disease. This work is being done with the goal of increasing treatment compliance because we know that compliance and adherence are often significant barriers to effective treatment outcomes. We believe we bring a new approach to developing improved treatments for rare diseases and neglected patient populations, and believe that our success will be measured in new treatments that we develop and bring to market.
One of our goals is to increase awareness of this neglected infection and improve patient outcomes through investments in:
Turing will work with any patient, hospital, clinic and financial institution – on a case-by-case basis – to help secure access to Daraprim. We have established a number of financial assistance programs administered by a specialty pharmacy provider to support patients with financial need. This includes offering the product without charge to qualified, uninsured patients. For insured Medicare patients, we contribute to an independent (OIG-approved) charity that provides for patients’ cost-sharing obligations for toxoplasmosis therapy. For commercially insured patients, we have established a co-pay assistance program.
________________________________________________________
I might note that "the weasel" has a foundation:
Founded in early 2015, the Shkreli Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to helping people facing a variety of adversities. We are passionate about making charitable contributions to pioneering causes, especially within the medical community. One of the Foundation’s major goals is supporting those who raise awareness about unknown or underrepresented serious conditions.
Martin Shkreli is the Founder and President of the Shkreli Foundation, a private and charitable non-profit organization. Martin is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Turing Pharmaceuticals AG, and was previously the Founder and CEO of Retrophin, Inc. His extensive research on life-threatening diseases had a profound influence on his philanthropic efforts. Witnessing the patients’ pain, deteriorating health and impact on their loved ones, Martin was determined to make a difference. He is committed to finding ways to improve QOL (“quality of life&rdquo, extending the concept beyond medicine and benefiting a variety of causes.
Contributions
If the clarification of pricing by the press release is correct, I suspect that someone was fishing for a political moment and the gullible have been had again. I am also curious if Rodelis Therapeutics accepted the same amount it paid Purdue Research Foundation for the rights to Cycloserine. If so, I suspect the gullible among us have been fooled twice.
___
The "gullible among us" are those who are taken in by the spin-loaded rationalization provided by Shkreli and his lawyers and his PR apparatus. Sure, he and his foundation make contributions to charity. He probably occasionally helps an old lady cross the street and pats a puppy on the head. But he is still a greed-infested latter-day robber baron.
Didn't he decide not to do the price increase?
Didn't he decide not to do the price increase?
___________________________________________________
The price will be reduced. New price to be announced soon. An older relative was a pharmacist . I remember he made up some of his pills himself. Wonder if this is something a formulary pharmacy could make in their shops == generic version.
It's some kind of scam involving hillary, an effort to make her a "heroine" some way.
It's some kind of scam involving hillary, an effort to make her a "heroine" some way.
___
Sure, and the first Moon landing was faked by NASA.
Didn't he decide not to do the price increase?
___________________________________________________
The price will be reduced. New price to be announced soon. An older relative was a pharmacist . I remember he made up some of his pills himself. Wonder if this is something a formulary pharmacy could make in their shops == generic version.
____________________________________________________________
It's not like the stuff is hard to make and is rare:
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http://www.alibaba.com/pyrimet...e-manufacturers.html
Note: Pyrimethamine=Daraprim. I believe the dosage is about 25 mg daily and there were less than 10,000 prescriptions last year, so a kilogram covers about four days worth of the US's needs.
I suspect that the desired news effect was accomplished so Turing will drop the price to only price gouge at 10 to 100 times the current price, but that will be acceptable to Obama and Clinton. For the higher value, I'm sure there will be a mandatory higher gift to the Clinton Foundation.
