If you would like to take niacin , a bacillus vitamin that is believed to lower cholesterin and the chance of having a spirit attack , you could grease one’s palms a month ’s provision online for about $ 5 . Or you could get a prescription for a bottle of well-nigh the same pill for almost $ 300 , thanks to a pharmaceutical ship’s company using terms gouging maneuver exchangeable to those of Pharma Bro Marin Shkrelli , according to a report from theFinancial Times .
Since biotech outlaw Shkrelli became mired in disceptation after his company provoke the price of a drug used by cancer and HIV patient role by 5,500 percentage , there have been fewer instances of grotesque bribe - and - advance deals in the world of Big Pharma . But some under - the - radiolocation firm are still acquire patent and instantly gouging .
Avondale Pharmaceuticals lately take on Niacor , a prescription interpretation of niacin , and increased the price of a bottleful of 100 tablets from $ 32.46 to $ 295 , FT reports . The ship’s company was formed in August and has no on-line mien , but state records show that it is based in Alabama . Acrogen Pharmaceuticals , which is the registered agent for Avondale , did not answer to a request by Gizmodo for gossip .
FT was also not capable to get a commentary from anyone associated with Avondale or Acrogen , which was started last year by Mark Pugh , an executive behind a several pharmaceutical company ( all of which seem to start with the letter “ A ” : Alora , Acella , Avion , Alliant ) . The financial news way out was able to confirm the toll increase through the drug price database of Elsevier and Truven Health Analytics .
While niacin is available over the parry , some healthcare professionals prefer prescription medicine interlingual rendition that have US Food and Drug Administration approval . There are other prescription drug versions of niacin , but Niacor is the only one that is n’t extended - release , allot to FT . Last yr , there were about 19,000 Niacor prescriptions in the US . Avondale seems to have been established just to acquire Niacor and the respiratory drug SSKI from Upsher Smith , a Japan pharmaceutical caller .
“ This is the latest example of an ineffective US grocery where the consumer , payer , and doctor do n’t have all of the information available to make a financially sound choice , ” Michael Rae , CEO of Rx Savings , a society that builds software to retrieve lower Mary Leontyne Price on drugs , tell FT . “ They are catch in a vane of inefficiency and are being taken vantage of . ”
Since Mary Leontyne Price increases are not normally public , Dr. who have been prescribe Niacor in all likelihood do not know about the steep cost addition .
[ Financial Times ]
big pharmaDrugsMartin Shkreli
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