https://goo.gl/9RjYqB
For 78-year-old Tony, 3,4 DAP — which can be obtained at low cost from compounding pharmacies or for free through a compassionate-use program supported by a small privately held company, Jacobus Pharmaceuticals — is a lifesaver. But for Catalyst, the pharmaceutical company that purchased the North American rights to a slightly modified formulation of 3,4 DAP (Firdapse) in 2012, the drug represented a market opportunity to the tune of $300 million to $900 million annually ($60,000 to $100,000 or more per patient).
Although the FDA found Catalyst’s application insufficient and requested additional studies, approval remains possible. Tony and other patients like him live in fear that they will no longer be able to afford the treatment that has returned their quality of life. Sadly, Tony’s story is becoming an increasingly common and alarming refrain as countless patients, their insurers, and our health care system are literally paying the price.