Has Turing Pharmaceuticals reneged on its promise to slash the price of its controversial $750 drug?
Following public criticism for the over 50-fold increase in the price of its drug Daraprim, the small biotech firm pledged to cut the cost per pill. However, it appears now that it will only be reducing charges to hospitals by up to 50 percent for the parasitic infection medication.
Driving up future treatment as well as insurance costs are most patients’ copayments capped at $10 a month or less – and insurance firms left with the bulk of the $750.
“[It’s] just window dressing,” said HIV Medicine Association chairman Dr. Carlos del Rio of Turing’s move, which followed Imprimis Pharmaceutical’s launch of a 99-cent custom-made version of Daraprim.
Turing said that such development from a competitor does not play a role in their pricing strategy. However, CEO Martin Shkreli said they will lower the price – until they only lowered rates for hospitals and offered 30-pill bottles instead of the usual 100-pill bottles.
Imprimis, on the other hand, shared Wednesday that doctors are now ordering their low-cost Daraprim version, with over 2,500 capsules dispensed starting Oct. 22. In an interview, CEO Mark Baum said they plan to sell affordable versions of now expensive generic drugs for conditions such as infections, heart disease, pain management, and immune issues.
The 62-year-old drug Daraprim is a popular treatment for toxoplasmosis, a rare parasitic infection mainly striking in the immunocompromised including HIV patients. It has been patent-free for decades.
Dr. Del Rio noted that the lower hospital price of Daraprim will not help much, given that most patients are treated at home for a number of months after their hospitalization.
"This medication can be made for pennies. They need to reduce the price to what it was before," he urged.
In a email interview, Tim Horn, HIV project director for organization Treatment Action Group, called the action of Turing – now undergoing government investigation for price gouging – as “nothing more than lipstick on a pig.” He asserted that patients should have affordable access to the drug after they have left hospital premises.
Turing bought rights to sell Daraprim in the U.S. back in August, when it was facing no competition yet. The sharp price increases for Daraprim and several other drugs caused an uproar from consumers and drug industry insiders and triggered several government inquiries.
Seattle-based physician Dr. Warren Dinges recounted writing a Daraprim prescription for an HIV patient with vision-damaging toxoplasmosis in his eye. The pharmacy said it would cost an estimated $27,000 for a month’s worth of the drug.
Instead, the doctor got Imprimis to create a custom version hardly costing $1,000 a month. He reported that the patient “was feeling great on Monday” with reduced symptoms during checkup.
Photo: Jason Rogers | Flickr
