Last September, Turing Pharmaceuticals hiked the price on Daraprim, a toxoplasmosis drug the startup had acquired a month before, by 5,000%. The cost of the treatment jumped from $13.50 to $750 a tablet.
On Tuesday, Express Scripts (ESRX) said it had devised a Daraprim workaround for doctors and their patients. In partnership with Imprimis Pharmaceuticals, the prescription drug benefit plan manager is offering alternative treatment capsules for $1 each.
“Our goal is always to put medicine within reach by making it more affordable and accessible,” Dr. Steve Miller, senior vice president and chief medical officer of Express Scripts, said in a press release.
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection contracted primarily by those with compromised immune systems, like AIDS and cancer patients.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Miller said the move could save millions of dollars each year in spending on Daraprim, since the small population that requires the treatment usually has to take pills for months.
Turing, led by CEO Martin Shkreli, unveiled price cuts in the months following the backlash it received for raising Daraprim prices. As of last week, the company announced plans to reduce costs by 50% for hospitals, as well as providing free samples of the drug to physicians by 2016. Express Scripts’ low-cost version will be available as early as this week.
In a statement to Coins2Day, Turing Pharmaceuticuals chief commercial officer Nancy Retzlaff shot down Express Scripts’ workaround. “In addition to being potentially unsafe and ineffective,” she said, “the compounded product is unnecessary.” Retzlaff noted that Express Scripts’ low-cost alternative to Daraprim did not receive approval by the Food and Drug Administration. However, compounded drugs are not reviewed by the FDA.
“Turing is committed to ensuring access to patients who need Daraprim and has implemented a number of patient assistance programs that can limit a patient’s out-of-pocket payment for Darapim to $10 per prescription,” she added.