A US company has sparked outrage by purchasing the rights to an HIV drug and raising the price from $US13.50 per pill to $US750 overnight. Daraprim is the standard of care for a food-borne illness called toxoplasmosis caused by a parasite that can severely affect those with compromised immune systems. It’s been on the market for 62 years. Turing Pharmaceuticals says it’s increased the price to research treatments for toxoplasmosis. The price increase has sparked calls for a boycott of the company. Judith Aberg, a spokesperson for the HIV Medicine Association, has told USA Today even patients with insurance could wind up paying $US150 per pill out of pocket. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says it’s "outrageous" is promising a plan to tackle price gouging in the speciality drug market.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 22nd September 2015 - 2:22pm