Ex-hedge funder buys rights to AIDS drug and raises price
Poll: Ex-hedge funder buys rights to AIDS drug and raises price
Total Members Polled: 354
Discussion
Ex-hedge funder buys rights to AIDS drug and raises price from $13.50 to $750 per pill
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/ex-hedge-funder-bu...
Ex-hedge funder who hiked AIDS pill cost by 5,500 percent says drug ‘still underpriced’
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/ex-hedge-funder-bu...
Ex-hedge funder who hiked AIDS pill cost by 5,500 percent says drug ‘still underpriced’
pokethepope said:
If it's 62 yrs old won't the patent have expired and therefore another company can make it and sell at a lower/the original price?
It's 10 years I believe for drugs hence you can by generic Viagra and paracetamol etc etc If it's 62 years old with my limited knowledge of the industry ( I really should know more) there can be very little justification for this. No more research and development plus increased productivity with modern manufacturing. Practices.
I thought you could get toxoplasmosis from cat poop. Don't 20 or so people in the UK go blind because of it every year.
It's also an anti malarial drug.
Edited by Pesty on Monday 21st September 23:52
pokethepope said:
If it's 62 yrs old won't the patent have expired and therefore another company can make it and sell at a lower/the original price?
Yes, at the old price and sales volumes no one bothered to make a generic version. With the price rise they might, but it will still take time before it's available.Bit of an emotive header - the drug is not used to treat AIDS - it's used to treat toxoplasmosis.
It's a bit like saying "penecillin or paracetamol is used to treat AIDS" - when in fact what you mean is "it's used to treat conditions in patients - some of whom have AIDS"
Not sure how he can actually do what the article claims though. Given the age of the drug - surely it is off patent by now and can be produced by any generic pharma company.
It's a bit like saying "penecillin or paracetamol is used to treat AIDS" - when in fact what you mean is "it's used to treat conditions in patients - some of whom have AIDS"
Not sure how he can actually do what the article claims though. Given the age of the drug - surely it is off patent by now and can be produced by any generic pharma company.
Moonhawk said:
Bit of an emotive header - the drug is not used to treat AIDS - it's used to treat toxoplasmosis.
It's a bit like saying "penecillin or paracetamol is used to treat AIDS" - when in fact what you mean is "it's used to treat conditions in patients - some of whom have AIDS"
Not sure how he can actually do what the article claims though. Given the age of the drug - surely it is off patent by now and can be produced by any generic pharma company.
All true. It's like they are try g to spin the story to make them sound worse if that's possible of course people with suppressed immune systems are more susceptible to this kind of thing.It's a bit like saying "penecillin or paracetamol is used to treat AIDS" - when in fact what you mean is "it's used to treat conditions in patients - some of whom have AIDS"
Not sure how he can actually do what the article claims though. Given the age of the drug - surely it is off patent by now and can be produced by any generic pharma company.
It seems that everybody else stopped producing it and this is the sole manufacturer the story doesn't seem to make sense on many levels.
Unfortunately, the story makes perfect sense. It's not the first time it's been done, or even the first time he's done it. It's not even the first time it's been done with that specific drug.
You'd think that because the patents had expired, there'd be a gazillion companies churning it out. It's not how the generics market works though. Take something like paracetamol or ibuprofen, the world supply is made in a handful of places and repackaged for sale under countless brands. You may not have to pay the patent holder but you still have to make pharmaceutical grade product with all the bureaucracy and infrastructure that entails. So it doesn't surprise me that there's only one maker of this product; who's going to bother for a low priced, infrequently used product? That'll change if the price sticks I can tell you.
What they've done is to exploit a system to encourage development of drugs for rare conditions (orphan drugs). And what makes this so newsworthy is that not only is an obnoxious thing to do, the individual himself seems to have unfortunate personality traits. He is quoted as telling a highly respected industry journalist he wouldn't be able to understand the new pricing strategy, and that he is 'a moron'.
You'd think that because the patents had expired, there'd be a gazillion companies churning it out. It's not how the generics market works though. Take something like paracetamol or ibuprofen, the world supply is made in a handful of places and repackaged for sale under countless brands. You may not have to pay the patent holder but you still have to make pharmaceutical grade product with all the bureaucracy and infrastructure that entails. So it doesn't surprise me that there's only one maker of this product; who's going to bother for a low priced, infrequently used product? That'll change if the price sticks I can tell you.
What they've done is to exploit a system to encourage development of drugs for rare conditions (orphan drugs). And what makes this so newsworthy is that not only is an obnoxious thing to do, the individual himself seems to have unfortunate personality traits. He is quoted as telling a highly respected industry journalist he wouldn't be able to understand the new pricing strategy, and that he is 'a moron'.
More info on it here - https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150919/2052013... .
They're not just jacking the price up massively, they're also changing the supply chain, potentially making it harder for some to obtain the drug. Presumably to encourage pharmacies to hold stocks of it, 'just in case'.
They're not just jacking the price up massively, they're also changing the supply chain, potentially making it harder for some to obtain the drug. Presumably to encourage pharmacies to hold stocks of it, 'just in case'.
rscott said:
More info on it here - https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150919/2052013... .
They're not just jacking the price up massively, they're also changing the supply chain, potentially making it harder for some to obtain the drug. Presumably to encourage pharmacies to hold stocks of it, 'just in case'.
No one will hold stocks for it at $750 per tablet.They're not just jacking the price up massively, they're also changing the supply chain, potentially making it harder for some to obtain the drug. Presumably to encourage pharmacies to hold stocks of it, 'just in case'.
Toxoplasmosis is the parasite which cats use to control their victims (us). Studies in rats show that those infected with the parasite lose their natural fear of cats and become attracted to them, it's how moggies have sidled their way in to human culture over the years, obviously they then report back to their demon over lord Beelzebub.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#.22Cra...
This man is obviously close to the source of all evil and controlling the spread of this cat born devilish infestation.
Burn him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#.22Cra...
This man is obviously close to the source of all evil and controlling the spread of this cat born devilish infestation.
Burn him.
Old Hillary has noticed too
http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/21/investing/hillary-...
come on Martin Shkreli, have a pop at Hilary if your brave enough.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/21/investing/hillary-...
come on Martin Shkreli, have a pop at Hilary if your brave enough.
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