Orphan Drugs Have Become Big BusinessPosting Date: 11/28/2005 Cerezyme is a bio-engineered enzyme for Gaucher disease. It costs an average of $200,000 annually per patient. That includes babies and children who need lower doses. Some adults have to spend $600,000 a year just to stay alive. That?s over $1,500 a day. No one can afford that kind of drug bill. Even with insurance, families struggle. Those without insurance may have to impoverish themselves so they qualify for Medicaid benefits. When Congress and the FDA dreamed up the orphan drug bill they didn?t consider limiting profitability. They simply assumed that with so few patients as a market, these products had limited commercial value. The legislation was based on the concept of compassion. By charging whatever they want, however, some companies that make orphan drugs are getting rich. According to the Wall Street Journal (Nov 16, 2005) Genzyme, the maker of Cerezyme, makes a gross profit margin of 90 percent on this medicine. Sales exceeded $800 million last year. Genzyme gets away with it because patients have no alternative if they want to stay alive. Some pharmaceutical executives with million-dollar salaries like to think of themselves as benevolent. Perhaps instead they should imagine themselves in the role of Dickens? character Fagin, exploiting orphans to enrich themselves. * * * Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist. Teresa Graedon holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a nutrition expert. Their syndicated radio show can be heard on public radio. In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. 2005 King Features Syndicate, Inc. Related Stories |
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