From $10 To $1,500: How A Cheap Drug That Prevents Preterm Birth Got Outrageously Expensive

[Purveyor]

By Mike Stobbe

ATLANTA (AP) - The price of preventing preterm labor is about to go through the roof.

A drug for high-risk pregnant women has cost about $10 to $20 per injection. Next week, the price shoots up to $1,500 a dose, meaning the total cost during a pregnancy could be as much as $30,000.

That's because the drug, a form of progesterone given as a weekly shot, has been made cheaply for years, mixed in special pharmacies that custom-compound treatments that are not federally approved.

But recently, KV Pharmaceutical of suburban St.Louis won government approval to exclusively sell the drug, known as Makena (Mah-KEE'-Nah). The March of Dimes and many obstetricians supported that because it means quality will be more consistent and it will be easier to get.

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http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D9LRV1980

[musette_sf]

1. They can't patent progesterone.

Just another BS scam.

Same scam that wants women to be disinformed on bio-identical hormome therapy. No big bucks to me made on plant-based therapy, vs. therapy with precious drops of pregnant mare urine.

[gkhouston]

4. No, they can't. I don't see why the hospitals couldn't order from a P.C.A.B.

accredited compounding pharmacy. I know of one that does mail-order business to several states.

[atreides1]

2. Huh?

How did they figure that my making it exclusive for one company to sell that it was going to be easier to get?

"None of them anticipated the dramatic price hike, though — especially since most of the cost for development and research was shouldered by others in the past."

I'm sure they thought that this company was going to do the "right" thing and keep it affordable!

The March of Dimes and those many obstetricians were punked, and because of their stupidity low income women won't be able to afford this drug...good job.

[1monster]

3. What an obscenity! The pharmaceutical companies raise prices on

inexpensive drugs astronomically because they can.

I propose legislation that would make it illegal for them to raise prices more than double what it costs to make it, especially if the drug was developed by another party and the producing company did not have to pay for the R&D, and if the drug was developed with public funds or at public universities and personnel.

It's time to take away the reason "because they can" and do away with price gouging. (And while we're at it, ban corporate owned politicians and judicial officials too.)

[hedgehog]

5. We need to get a Republican to out this scam. At the very least,

we can watch some heads explode as Republicans try to figure out whether they should be protecting the unborn or corporations.

[n2doc]

6. Oh they will support the corps

And expect the woman to pay the 30K no matter what. And if she doesn't and something bad happens, well, off to jail with her! It's the republican way.