After being publicly skewered by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) over the $375,000 price tag for its rare disease drug, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals released a lengthy response defending the steps being taken to ensure the medicine is accessible to patients.
In a six-page letter, the company tried to strike a respectful tone while challenging some of the assertions made by Sanders, who earlier this month accused Catalyst of “fleecing” Americans and “immoral exploitation” by setting a “staggering” price. In doing so, he helped catapult the drug, which treats a rare neuromuscular disorder, into the contentious national debate over the cost of medicines.
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Nationalize!
No reason he should be mollified. Catalyst is despicable. Had Jacobus gotten approval, they would doubtless have charged more than nothing, but hopefully not this sort of price.
If they spent “millions of dollars,” it won’t take many patients at all to recoup that from public monies and insurance premiums we all end up paying the price for. And then it’s all gravy.