Former hedge fund manager acquires life-saving drug, raises price 5,555% to $750/pill

Toxoplasmosis isn't rare - more than 60 million people in the US have the parasite in their system according to the CDC. Thankfully, most immune systems can handle the load without symptoms, but if that person becomes immune compromised (AIDS is one way, but I'm more familiar with it through cancer treatments), they can become symptomatic even if they've had the parasite controlled for 40 years. And as a woman of childbearing age, I've heard a fair bit about avoiding it because new, even if sub-clinical, infections can cause severe problems for a developing embryo.

From the CDC page: " In the United States it is estimated that 22.5% of the population 12 years and older have been infected with Toxoplasma. In various places throughout the world, it has been shown that up to 95% of some populations have been infected with Toxoplasma."

So this disease is only an extremely rare condition if you can guarantee that all of those people (60 million, since we're just talking US here) never become immune suppressed in their lives through AIDS, the need for an organ transplant, cancer, auto-immune conditions necessitating steroid treatment or anything like that.

 

This guy will be leading the Republican field for president in 40 years.

 

A long-winded way of saying "very few people actually need this drug"

 

Let 'em die.

 

In the guy's defense, it's probably hard to corner the market on a drug that is needed to keep millions of people alive and healthy.

But give the guy some time. Geez, Zag.

He'll get there with that no-holds-barred attitude!

 

Last year there were 8,800 prescriptions for Daraprim. Just by quick math, with $9.9M in sales it would mean the average prescription was somewhere between 80 and 85 pills.

Does it meet zag's minimum standard for outrage? Hard to say.

 

With the NY Times fully on the story, too.

 

Another example of the U.S. being so evil.

 

And here I thought Obamacare had fixed things. Silly me.

 

Great guy. GREAT guy.

http://gawker.com/lawsuit-scumbag-pharma-price-gouger-stalked-and-harass-1732357240

The best is harassing an ex-employee's kid while friend requesting.

You guys who quasi-defend creeps like this... step back on this one.

 

Yes, Tony, I see you willingly paying much more than your share for prescriptions just out of the goodness of your Red, White and Blue heart so that urchins in Canada can have cheaper drugs.

You go, Tony! Rock on, USA!

 

On one of the screen saves, his phone number was listed.

I wonder if it's still in service ...