Drug Goes From $13.50 a Tablet to $750, Overnight

11 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/drug-goes-from-13-50-a-tablet-to-750-overnight.194933/

Specialists in infectious disease are protesting a gigantic overnight increase in the price of a 62-year-old drug that is the standard of care for treating a life-threatening parasitic infection.

The drug, called Daraprim, was acquired in August by Turing Pharmaceuticals, a start-up run by a former hedge fund manager. Turing immediately raised the price to $750 a tablet from $13.50, bringing the annual cost of treatment for some patients to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“What is it that they are doing differently that has led to this dramatic increase?” said Dr. Judith Aberg, the chief of the division of infectious diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She said the price increase could force hospitals to use “alternative therapies that may not have the same efficacy.”

Read More: NYTimes,Fortune

It's USA, their medical industry is weird. Eg: The cost of MRI in USA is around ~$3k, i.e ~1.8lakh INR, here its around 5-15k max. The prices do not surprise me anymore.

Cost of calling an ambulance is $1000.

seamon said:
Cost of calling an ambulance is $1000.

Bleh, here it's free if you're poor or rich, for middleclass it's around 200-300/-

Americans have a stupid insurance system in place. They can ask for anything they want.

No wonder,american's r so stupid!

KayKashyap said:
No wonder,american's r so stupid!

Remember, they are the ones who invented the Internet. No need of such hate.

reddit is flooded with this news.

GREED.That's what it is.What more can you expect from a a start-up run by a former hedge fund manager.

Americans solely rely on plastic money,Insurance and overindulgence
take even one of that away and it proves to be mighty expensive for them

Not all American are stupid, there are some good people also, who oppose to such practices, same with india, private hospitals charge way too much and there are some people in India who spend money for people without coming to limelight, its all about human nature