Premature labor drug spikes from $10 to $1,500

Premature labor drug spikes from $10 to $1,500
KV Pharmaceutical won governmental approval to exclusively sell Makena

ATLANTA — The price of preventing preterm labor is about to go through the roof.

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.

None of them anticipated the dramatic price hike, though — especially since most of the cost for development and research was shouldered by others in the past.

"That's a huge increase for something that can't be costing them that much to make. For crying out loud, this is about making money," said Dr. Roger Snow, deputy medical director for Massachusetts' Medicaid program.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41994697/ns ... pregnancy/


Yessireebob, unbridled capitalism at work... I guess "tort reform" won't help keep medical expenses down in this case... It's called unbridled GREED.

Got to love those progressives running government, don't you? Lord only knows what the cost would have been if the Republicans and their corporate sponsors had been the ones the company was negotiating with. Good thing we have all those "looking out for the little people" Democrats in charge of keeping the costs of health care down, don't you think?

You obviously have the Democrats confused with the free-market profits-above-all-else corporatists...

They also said it would be available at a low cost or no cost basis for low income women.

And in your utopian world LJ, they would be forced to sell the drug dirt cheap, then years down the road when some bad side effect is linked to the drug, then it's "sue baby sue". Am I wrong?

LadyJazzer wrote: You obviously have the Democrats confused with the free-market profits-above-all-else corporatists...

Yep, it's Bushes fault. rofllol

In a true free market, lower priced alternatives would be available. Sounds like a guaranteed goverment monopoly under the Obama administration.

The fed government doesn't move fast so the cry babies trying to blame Bush or Obama, should likely blame both administration. Further, it is doubtful either President was involved or was even aware of this decision.

Very likely this is just greed based upon v=being granted a monopoly. However if the company is now FDA regulated, their compliance cost also went up dramatically and their profit won't be $1,490 per shot.