jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

You might remember the name "Martin Shkreli" from a few years ago. He raised the price of a pill from $17.50 to $750.

"A federal judge on Friday banned the controversial former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli from ever working in that industry again and ordered him to return $64.6 million in wrongfully obtained profits."

“Shkreli has not expressed remorse or any awareness that his actions violated the law,” Cote wrote in her ruling. “While he takes full responsibility … for the increase of Daraprim’s price from $17.50 to $750 per pill, he denies responsibility for virtually anything else.”

- Washington Post

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

on the ban and restitution.

Can we say money grubber?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

You're being too kind!

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

MOST DEFINITELY!!!

pendennis

He's an insult to money grubbers everywhere!

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I'll agree with that!

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Jerry how many UHH members are likely at risk from suffering from malaria or HIV?
This is the primary group of individual who might benefit from daraprim which btw requires another drug to lower the side effects from pyrimethamine (Daraprim).

That said the "Elephant" in the room is Eliquis (apixaban) an oral Factor Xa inhibitor. Inhibition of Factor Xa, a key blood-clotting protein, decreases thrombin generation and thus can significantly reduce the risk of stroke in A-Fib patents

When the FDA approved a generic for apixaban Prfizer's legal team immediately launched a challenge and won!
https://www.biospace.com/article/with-court-win-bms-and-pfizer-stave-off-generic-challengers-to-eliquis-for-now/

Pfizer Staved Off Generic Challengers to Eliquis in order to protect it's revenue stream of more than $2.6 billion for BMS (Bristol Myers-Squibbs) and $4 billion for Pfizer. BMS and Pfizer co-developed Eliquis and share profits and losses on a 40/60 basis, respectively. Eliquis (apixaban) is one of the top anticoagulants in the world!

btw, apixaban costs ~ $600/month here in the US while the 60 old alternative, Warfarin which has considerable side effects and is a burden on those who must use it owing to the fact it only cost ~ $20/month

Bristol Myers-Squibbs and Pfizer muscled the "generic" off the market to protect their OUTRAGEOUS US price of apixaban.

Jerry I would estimate many of UHH members could be either on apixaban or Warfarin owing to Atrial Fibrillation... Which is a major cause of Stroke! Of all illness Stroke is likely the most feared by the aging population. Why should this lifesaving drug be protected by the courts in the US?

Ethical considerations aside... Evil and greed run rampart in the "Pharma" industries...

Eliquis (apixaban) made in the U.S. is sold outside the U.S. for 87% cheaper!!! And you can easily order it.

But if you ask your Cardiologist about ordering it abroad? The ROAR of the SILENCE is absolutely deafening.
While I'm not licensed to practice medicine in the State of Virginia I am currently free to choose my medical treatment paradigm... And so are others here in the good old US of A... carpe diem!

Caveat: Only a licensed medical practitioner can actually determine if you are at risk for a cardiovascular "Event"
PLEASE Do not self diagnose or medicate! We all saw what happen to those who trusted Donald Trump's enthusiasm for hydroxychloroquine, the antimalarial drug... caveat emptor!

Wish all good heath and wellness moving forward in 2022!
Cheers! Thomas

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Yup, Eliquis is expensive, even with a co-pay.
No monthly blood monitoring required as with warfarin.
Less chances of "leaking" inside with Eliquis.
Warfarin was first used as a rat poison, the rats bleed to death internally.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

warfarin requires monthly blood tests - some patients maintain very stable blood-thining effect as measured by the "prothrombin time" converted to the "International Normalized Ratio, or INR. But INR can be effected by foods and other medications, and can jump all over the place. Taking an antibiotic or eating spinach can result in bleeding. The newer agents (Eliquis, Xarelto, Pradaxa, and some new ones) maintain a more constant effect on the clotting mechanisms, and have been shown to result in fewer strokes and fewer episodes of bleeding. In addition, their effect starts within an hour of taking, as opposed to warfarin, which may take a week or longer. The main problem is that their effect is harder to counteract if there is a bleeding episode or if emergency surgery is necessary. Overall these newer medications are a great improvement over warfarin for those who can take them (they are not approved for patients with artificial heart valves).

FYI: CanadaPharmacy.com has Eliquis (brand name) 5 mg which is usually taken twice daily for $348 for 112 tablets. They offer a generic for $229 for 90 tablets. It is $528 for 60 tablets locally here according to GoodRx.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Humira - a monoclonal antibody used to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's Disease - was due for termination of patent protections. They have a team of hundreds of patent lawyers... they tweaked the auto-injector pen and changed the buffer in the solution in which the Humira is dissolved. Their ads say: "We responded to patient requests and reduced the burning with injection"! The BURNING is when someone actually pays for Humira, which still costs $6,000 for TWO injectors - one month's worth! And the big problem is that most Americans get prescription drugs through insurance, and so they are not aware of the actual costs - they may be charged a $100 copayment for Humira, but they get coupons for discounts so that copayments are low or even free. And then they wonder why their insurance premiums are $2300 per month!

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Frederick Banting and John Macleod are credited with the development of insulin along with Best and Collip which is a true life-saving drug. In 1923 they were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work.

On January 23rd, 1923 Banting, Best, and Collip were awarded the American patents for insulin which they sold to the University of Toronto for $1.00 each. Banting announced that "Insulin belongs to the World". The University of Toronto was a school not a pharmaceutical production facility so they had to find help. U of T allowed Eli Lilly and Co., an American pharmaceutical company, to produce insulin in exchange for a one-year distribution monopoly.

Because patent rights expire over a period of time...unless the item is modified, the producers of insulin continue to claim "tweaks" in ways to perpetuate the patent rights along with the monopoly of pricing as they see fit. Insulin is a classic example of "profits over lives".

Alafoto Loc: Montgomery, AL

His methods see far and away above grubbing, He seems to have shoveled it in by the truckloads.

Greg from Romeoville illinois Loc: Romeoville illinois

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

I understand the costs of research and development. Also the failing of drugs researched for months or years and failing. Also the drugs on the market forever and then the ambulance chasing lawyers start the commercial during process. I think all research monies should be public domain and then when a patent runs out the profits are compared to the research cost. There has to be a way to ensure good profits to ensure the best research but the insulin things is surely wrong. Also it would seem that if it can be sold out of country cheaper than it should be raised everywhere so the American people don't pay all the profits. Sorry if I'm rambling but I'm pissed. Lol

pendennis

You aren't the only one, though.

In my academic career, back in the 70's, one of the things we studied in a number of our business and economic classes, was abuse of patent and copyright laws. It was generally agreed that the Founders were sincere in their belief in protecting inventors and authors, but that protection opened up the system to abuse. Protection of intellectual property seems to reside in the West. There needs to be a balancing of protection versus the rapid change in technology that we witness.