KV Pharmaceutical announced Friday that they will reduce the price of the drug Makena from $1,500 a dose to $690. Makena reduces the risk that a woman will give birth prematurely. The company also said it was improving its program that helps women receive the drug who can't afford it. But if you need Makena, you're not just going to need one dose, you're going to be given a dose a week for 20 weeks, which at its original cost would've totaled about $30,000 (now reduced to about $13,800). The St. Louis pharmaceutical company came under scrutiny recently for charging such a high price for such a lifesaving drug. The new price still seems a bit steep.
The drug is a form of progesterone called 17P, and has been used in a generic form for years since no company had previously marketed it. At-risk moms-to-be could get it from pharmacies cheaply and easily, but doctors were concerned about the purity and consistency of the drug. So initially it seemed like a victory when KV won FDA approval and 7-year exclusive rights to the drug formulation in February. Now despite that promise, the FDA says it will not stop pharmacies from continuing to make the $10 - $20 a dose versions of the drug.
1 comment:
I am confused if this is a good thing or a bad thing that this company got the rights for it.
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