Acthar Gel is a hormone injection used for infants to treat a rare kind of epilepsy called infantile spasms (Spasm refer to a painful and involuntary muscular contraction) which are of rare occurrence in infants. The disease occurs in babies before one year of age. The drug is priced $34,000 per one vial.
The drug is manufactured by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals based in the United Kingdom. More than a decade ago, Acthar Gel is sold for $40. Later in 2012, Questcor Pharmaceuticals acquired Acthar Gel and raised the price to $28,000. In 2014, Questcor was acquired by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals which has again hiked the price to $34,000 a vial.
US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) raised a lawsuit against Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals for US$100 million, for illegal anti-competitive behavior to ensure its monopoly over a life-saving medication for infants with epilepsy. This week, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals won the case and has again become legal to sell this life-saving medicine for $34,000.
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals says that it is a very tiny market and they sell only 800 medicines a year. The company gained $1 billion revenue in 2015.
Also read: Research finds women with low physical activity are biologically eight years older than their counterparts
Also read: Research finds women with low physical activity are biologically eight years older than their counterparts
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