Plus 5,000% in a buyout. In the United States, treatment prescribed for HIV-positive people went from $ 13.5 to $ 750 after being bought out by Turing Pharmaceuticals.
“Leech”, “without shame”, “a *** hole” … Martin Shkreli has joined the closed club of the most hated men internet for a few days. The CEO of the biopharmaceutical company Turing Pharmaceuticals has bought the rights to Daraprim (pyrimethamine), in particular prescribed to HIV-positive patients. Since then, the cost of the drug has increased by 5,000%, angering doctors and Internet users.
Daraprim, marketed in France under the name Malocide, is a 62-year-old drug. First used against malaria, it has also demonstrated its usefulness in toxoplasmosis, but also AIDS and certain cancers inducing a degradation of the immune system.
Its production cost is particularly low: 1 dollar (80 euro cents). However, since its takeover by Turing Pharmaceuticals last August, the price of a tablet has dropped from $ 13.5 (€ 12) to $ 750 (€ 673).
The anger of associations
In the United States, where drugs are not fully covered, the announcement sparked an uproar. Especially since the Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, cracked an unequivocal tweet: “To inflate prices in this way, on the specialized market for the sale of drugs, is scandalous,” a she wrote while retweeting a full article from New York Times.
Price gouging like this in the specialty drug market is outrageous. Tomorrow I’ll lay out a plan to take it on. -H https://t.co/9Z0Aw7aI6h
– Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 21, 2015
Associations and learned societies are also part of their anger. The American Society of Infectious Diseases (IDSA) and the HIV Medical Association addressed Martin Shkreli an open letter in which they summarize the situation in two points: “Pyrimethamine is particularly important in the treatment of toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease which has serious consequences if it is not treated effectively in pregnant women, patients infected with HIV , affected by cancer or other diseases that affect the immune system ”, specify the two associations.
Stimulate research
The other problem, specifies the open letter, is the financial burden that this drug will represent for the health system. “This cost is unjustifiable for medically vulnerable patient populations who need this drug; it will not be able to be supported by the health system, ”say the associations.
Faced with this volley of green wood, the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals is defending himself online and in the media. He first explains that he included in the final price the expenses for marketing, manufacturing and distribution – which would have increased sharply over the years. Martin Shkreli then advances the profitability of the company. “We are not the first to increase the price of a drug,” he defends himself in the face of a hostile interview with a CNBC journalist. And we are in a low range. “
Martin Shkreli’s last argument, by taking advantage of Daraprim, his company could develop “a recent, more effective and safer version” of this drug.
Hello @MartinShkreli you have no shame ? #FDP
– GEO (@PoloMcCaw) September 22, 2015
Looks like a Marvel movie super-villain, with some extra oily hair. https://t.co/qtnXbHMp2v
– -Boulet- (@Bouletcorp) September 22, 2015
@MartinShkreli You are an extraordinary douchebag. Special place in Hell for extorting the most vulnerable. Have a great day!
– Hungry chimp. (@kim_stryker) September 22, 2015
MartinShkreli congratulations. You’ve let #greed make you a murderer. Shameful.
– Charlie Henderson (@ SaveChildren1st) September 22, 2015
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