Postby Avicenna » Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:38 pm
bariis - Canada's regulations are far more reaching than here. Drugs and the medical community there is constantly under scrutiny because of Canada's welfare state system.
Here it is a free-for-all, cowboy mentality that they call capitalism. Look in to it, should be interesting.
Beans - The funny thing is that this progesterone based drug ( 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate) has been around for over 40 years, but it was never really patented or branded. Compounding pharmacies used to mix it onsite upon request, for around $10 per dose. A company called KV got a hold of it and submitted a brand request for it through the FDA, presented clinical trials that it indeed did help prevent premature births in high risk mothers, voila! They got approved and over a very short span (within months) the price went from a mere $10 to $1,500 (150 fold). The drug is still on the market, but its sales have been sluggish over time. It's sold to expectant mothers who are high risk (hx of premature births), billed through their insurance companies. The total cost through-out the pregnancy is estimated at around $30,000 which has outraged many in the health field and even politicians/lobby groups like March of Dimes, etc. The company is promising to work with low-income mothers with paying for it through a charity network they set up (under a lot of pressure) as long as they have ob prescriptions.