Doctors tried to lower $148K cancer drug cost; makers triple price of pill
Found on Ars Technica on Saturday, 21 April 2018
Taking just one pill a day could dramatically reduce costs to around $50,000 a year. And it could lessen unpleasant side-effects, such as diarrhea, muscle and bone pain, and tiredness. But just as doctors were gearing up for more trials on the lower dosages, the makers of the drug revealed plans that torpedoed the doctors’ efforts: they were tripling the price of the drug and changing pill dosages.
Imbruvica’s makers, Janssen and Pharmacyclics, have now gotten approval to sell four different tablets of varying strengths: 140mg, 280mg, 420mg, and 560mg. But the new pills will all be the same price—around $400 each—even the 140mg dose pill.
Free market and caitalism will fix everything? Doesn't look like it works so well. At some point you begin to enjoy the idea that those responsible for this should get cancer and be unable to pay for their own medicine. Then companies like unethical Goldman Sachs would quickly vanish from the face of earth. At least others do not play along with pharma companies and show them where the limits are.