Happy October, my fellow Observers! Yes the summer is officially over, the air is getting cooler, the leaves are changing color, the kids have been back in school for a month or so and have been bringing home all those lovely germs we all look forward to. Thermostats are going up as well as Lysol sales and we've already heard the first panicked reports of flu shot shortages. With these health issues broached, that brings me to this weeks current event subject from the medical front, but not in the way you might think. I'm not going to focus on a new life saving procedure, a doctor risking his own health to help those with a contagious disease or even a research breakthrough that shows the promise of a cure for a malady that has been incurable. Nope... none of those. That would be refreshing, I do admit, but what I am going to bring to your attention is a 62 year old drug that has been in the news of late, called Daraprim that was approved by the FDA in 1953 and is still used to this day to treat toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can be contracted by eating undercooked meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables and cleaning out cat litter boxes. Toxoplasmosis is a common parasite that most people's immune system can ward off but is a threat to pregnant women, the elderly, infants, certain cancer patients and those with HIV and AIDS.
According to the CDC, approximately 4500 people are hospitalized with the infection annually and more than 300 people succumb to the parasite. Most patients can be cured with a six week treatment of Daraprim. Unfortunately, those with immunodeficiency disorders may have to use Daraprim indefinitely. Pretty unremarkable, you say? A six decade old drug used to treat less than 5000 a year? That's all you've got this week? What's so special about it to merit an article? Well, my loyal reader, I'm glad you asked. The reason I'm dedicating my article to Daraprim is that a few weeks ago it had a minor price increase. Not much. It went from $13.50 to $750.00 per pill. Yes, you read it right... per pill. A few years ago Daraprim sold for $1.00 per pill. Glaxo-Smith-Kline sold the drug manufacturing rights in 2010 and the price has steadily increased over the past five years. In 2010 Daraprim was prescribed 12,700 times and it's annual revenue was $667,000. By 2014 prescriptions dropped to 8821 but sales revenue increased to a whopping 9.9 million. The recent price increase to $750.00 per pill would put profits from the drug in the billions. Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli, a hedge fund trader who likes to purchase pharmaceutical companies and drug manufacturing rights, bought Daraprim's rights this past August and claims that the reason Turing raised the price so high was to make the drug profitable and is using the profits to make a newer, better drug. Stating that patients "don't deserve a drug that is 70 years old" and "I know what we're doing is right.". Really, Marty? You know what your doing is right? Because the way it sounds to me is that you purchased the rights to a drug this past August, a drug that has been on the market for decades, a drug that, for certain patients, is necessary to keep them alive, has no alternative and the first thing you did after acquiring it was to raise the price astronomically. You call that "right"? Maybe for your bank account... but that's about it. Why don't you explain that what your doing is "right" to the cancer patients who your kicking while their down. Or the parents of the infant who contracted this infection that their child's treatment is going to cost $63,000.00 and by the way, their insurance company just dropped them last week. Maybe you can convince the HIV patient who has to stay on Daraprim to live that have to pay a percentage co-pay on a $634,000.00 annual tab of all the good your doing. If that's what you think is right, I'd hate to imagine how you define wrong.
Shkreli goes on to say in an interview with The Los Angeles Times "We're not going to take this money (profits from Daraprim) and put it in our pockets or pay ourselves a dividend. We're not going to stop until we've eliminated toxoplasmosis.". Well, I hate to disagree with you, Marty, but that's exactly what you are going to do. No, not the noble notion that he and his company are going to work around the clock, using the millions Daraprim is making them to eliminate toxoplasmosis. There's less crap in the cat feces carrying the parasite that causes it than in that statement....so no, not that. The "pocketing the dividend" part, however, well.... I'm sure your all smart enough to guess where I'm going with this. Especially since most experts confirm that toxoplasmosis is kinda here to stay. It's an ever present, common parasite and unless we all decide to stop eating meat, fruit, vegetables and find a way to stop cats from pooping we're going to have to live with it. There is literally no way to eradicate it from the earth. So why spend millions to research doing so? It's not like we don't have a drug that's been around for 6 decades that works, has little to no side effects and has no demand for a better drug to fight the illness. The answer is that Turing is not going to. They are just going to keep raking in the cash to fill their coffers, fuel their private jets, sail their yachts and buy their ocean front properties while coloring it over with all the best intentions. That's right... I bought a Orca... I don't like sports cars... Duh!
32 year old Shkreli has been called a "vulture" and "the most hated man in America" ( the dentist that shot Cecil is breathing a sigh of relief, for now) for these pharmaceutical transgressions and has been feeling the public outrage heat. He has recently made statements on ABC that "We've agreed to lower the price of Daraprim to a price that is more affordable." in an effort to make peace with the public and media. Although he has not given a hard number on what that "affordable" price will eventually be, but he insists that Turning is going to "expand it's charitable drug program.". This seems to be in conflict with some of his posts on Twitter (I understand he's a big Twit...er...Twitter fan). One stated "It seems like the media immediately points a finger at me so I point one back at em, but not the index or the pinkie." How clever. He must be talking about his ring finger. You know, the one with the huge rock on it that he bought with all the cash he recently came into. For all his efforts to justify his actions, not taking blame for them and trying to make false amends, he can't hide or ignore the fact that he has done this before with another company called Retrophin Inc. Retrophin bought a drug called Thiola, which can prevent kidney stones. At the purchase, Thiola's price was $1.50 per pill. After Marty and Retrophin got their money grubbing, greedy corporate hands on it, Thiola per pill price increased to over $30.00. Shkreli was dismissed from Retrphin for what was called "conflicting interests". It's Ok though. He seems to have moved onto larger drug price gouging pastures with his new company.
Shkreli, although liken to pond scum.... no, wait... I take that back....pond scum has more integrity and personality, is not the only slime doing this and is, by far, not the first. There are multiple companies raising drug prices after purchasing the manufacturing rights for no other reason besides increasing their bottom lines.
Rodelis Therapeutics recently purchased Cycloserine, a drug to treat tuberculosis and raised the price from $16.00 to $360.00 per pill.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals bought rights to the heart medications Nitropress and Isurpel and on the same day of the purchase hiked Nitropress by 500% and Isurpel by 200%.
Doxycycline, a common, low cost, wide based treatment antibiotic used to treat everything from oral infections to anthrax and chlamydia was 65 cents per pill in 2013. In 2014 t jumped to $62.00 per pill. Now that's a pretty big clap trap if you ask me. (sorry... couldn't resist)
As infuriating as all these drug companies jumping on the drugged cash cow bandwagon is, I submit that they are not alone in their get rich quick off the sick and the injured, kill patient quest. Doctors and hospitals (non-profit or not) are just as guilty. I've mentioned several times, over the last 9 months of articles, my feelings toward the health care industry being one of the institutions that should not be practiced for profit, but in this country and most of the world, for that matter, it is. Doctors, hospitals, diagnostic labs, pharmaceutical companies all share one common thread while writing themselves into the black in their ledgers. Insurance companies. Be it private, state or federally funded, insurance companies are the prime reason medical costs and drugs have skyrocketed and continue to do so. Malpractice insurance has caused doctors and hospitals to raise rates exponentially to cover the cost of it, but most of the increases are not derived out of the necessity to offset the cost of being sued for a medical mistake. They are based on the appetite of greed and the ease of being able to feed it. These medical professionals have adopted the attitude that the patient isn't paying for their treatment, the insurance company is. So why not pad the bill, cash in on the establishment and get what we can get while we can get it. The problem is, that in doing so, they end up catering to the insurance companies playing doctor and following the decisions they make on a patient's condition instead of their medical opinion of what's required. "I'm sorry you need this operation, but Jane from Aetna said no.". "Here, take two aspirin and don't call me in the morning because Blue Cross cut you off. At least I still get paid.".
Staying healthy is one of society's goals that we all seem to agree upon. We become proactive to get and stay in good health especially after a medical condition or procedure occurs in our life. The problem is that staying that way has become so expensive some people have no choice but to choose between the treatments, the drugs they need or to keep eating, a roof over their head or keep the lights and heat on this month. They just can't afford to get and stay in good health. Which brings me to the conclusion that the doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical and insurance companies have another common thread they share. They know this and they simply don't care. Strictly an Observation. If you'll excuse me, I'm waiting to hear if Jane thinks I need a prostate exam this year.
View my other articles, posts and Like Strictly an Observer on Facebook
View all Strictly an Observer Articles on Tumblr
Follow Strictly an Observer on Pinterest
Follow Strictly an Observer on Twitter
Follow Strictly an Observer on Google+
Contact Strictly an Observer. I welcome all feedback.
