Preemie Drug Spikes

[somarco]

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.

Preemie birth preventive drug spikes from $10 to $1,500 » Corpus Christi Caller-Times

 

[bluemarlin08]

Re: Premie Drug Spikes

Wow, I think my wife took this with our last child and it was made by our pharmacist.

 

[somarco]

Re: Premie Drug Spikes

FDA approval isn't cheap, but this is ridiculous.

I have no problem in someone making a profit but this seems excessive and just another way to gouge insurance companies and taxpayers.

 

[dgoldenz]

Re: Premie Drug Spikes

Almost bought some of that KV stock at $1/share last year....over $13/share now. Damn.

 

[STIBROKER]

Re: Premie Drug Spikes

preemies are no laffing matter....did not use drugs and ended up with twins....shutter to think what would have happened if we did invetro....

 

[somarco]

Almost bought some of that KV stock at $1/share last year....over $13/share now. Damn.

Perhaps you should have been stockpiling Makena.

Never suggested premies are something to joke about, but felt the story was newsworthy. On the surface it seems the company is sticking it to us.

But I am also willing to consider there may be more to it than appears.

 

[lakeloveroktx]

This is BS. We need FDA reform. This treatment has been around a long time. Now some pharmo company is trying to get rich on it.

 

[VolAgent]

Perhaps you should have been stockpiling Makena.

Never suggested premies are something to joke about, but felt the story was newsworthy. On the surface it seems the company is sticking it to us.

But I am also willing to consider there may be more to it than appears.

I find it hard to believe that costs increased 150 times. The only way you can justify that is if the drug was killing premies left and right, and somehow I don't think is the case.

 

[somarco]

I have to think there is more to the story. Not sure what it might be, but this doesn't pass the smell test.

 

[b61mack]

PURE GREED.......................... dr salk who discovered penicilin.. give it to the world free...a true saint...