From Free To $100,000-A-Year?: Cost Of Experimental Autoimmune Drug Could Skyrocket
People suffering Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder, have found relief from an experimental drug that one pharmaceutical company distributes free. Now another company is seeking FDA approval, which would give it exclusive rights to distribute -- and charge an estimated $37,500 to over $100,000 per patient, per year. Elsewhere, The Washington Post examines the trends in drug spending.
NPR:
FDA Approval Could Turn A Free Drug For A Rare Disease Pricey
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, which makes Firdapse, has applied for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under an orphan drug designation. That would give the company exclusive rights to market the drug for seven years. That should be good news for Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome patients. But the reality isn't so clear. That's because, for the last 20 years, many LEMS patients have received the same drug — known as 3,4-diaminopyridine, or 3,4-DAP — free of charge from Jacobus Pharmaceutical. (Kodjak, 12/23)
The Washington Post:
Why Drug Spending Is So High, In Three Charts
On Monday, federal health officials released a database that details federal spending on 80 key medications that made up about a third of the total drug expenditures last year. There are three simple takeaways from this data dump. (Johnson, 12/22)
In other pharma marketplace news —
The Baltimore Sun:
Cerecor's Shares Surge 25 Percent After CEO Replaced
Shares in Cerecor Inc. are up 25 percent since the Baltimore-based pharmaceutical company announced it was replacing its president and CEO. After spiking as high $4.14 each Tuesday morning, Cerecor shares settled to close at $3.89 a day after it announced Monday that Dr. Blake Paterson is resigning his executive positions and seat on the board. Paterson, an assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine will remain as scientific advisor to the company, which is testing an antidepressant for patients who are not responding to other drugs. (12/22)
