Turing Pharmaceuticals sales and marketing update
Turing established a patient savings program to provide antiparasitic drug Daraprim pyrimethamin for up to $10 out-of-pocket to qualified patients with commercial medical insurance. Turing already provides Daraprim at no cost to uninsured patients who meet financial need criteria. The dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitor is marketed in combination with a sulfonamide to treat toxoplasmosis.
On Sept. 22, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) requested a U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform committee hearing to discuss the drug’s price. In a letter to committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Cummings asked that the committee invite Shkreli to testify. Cummings and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had sent a letter on Sept. 21 to Shkreli saying they would investigate Daraprim’s pricing. The lawmakers requested information relating to the drug’s cost and the company’s distribution policies (see BioCentury, Sept. 28). ...