By Dr. Geoffrey Modest
I have held back from writing about drug company shenanigans, mostly because their daily outrageous acts could totally fill up my blogs (witness the Mylan epi-pen example). But, I just couldn’t resist. I will not repeat what is quite well-researched and written in STAT, but refer you to the URL: https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2016/09/23/drug-price-skin-gel/ for details.
But the bottom line: yet again, pretty sleazy business types, moving from one small drug company to another to repeat their predatory practices, are buying out old drugs and dramatically raising their prices. In this case, one of their 3 gels is composed of aloe and iodoquinol, the latter when taken orally being an antiprotozoal/an amebicide!!! , and is being promoted as preventing growth of fungus/bacteria topically to treat dermatitis and eczema. Their own prescribing information states it is only “possibly effective”, as per the FDA. Another of their gels throws in some hydrocortisone to this mix. And they raised the price to $9,561 for a tube (had been around $200). Just think what they would charge if it truly were “effective”….
See https://stg-blogs.bmj.com/bmjebmspotlight/category/pharmacy/ for some of the prior blogs.