While that may be excellent news for Amylyx, which makes the drug and whose shares are up 159% over the past 6 months, the exorbitant price tag is bad news for the U.S. healthcare system. Patients won’t be footing the entire bill themselves — insurers pick up most of the tab, which is finalized after rebates are made by pharmaceutical companies to get the drug covered. And of course making the drug available through the proper channels will be a more affordable and more reliable way for patients to take the medication, especially those who can’t afford the out-of-pocket costs Mr. Oliff was able to pay for his unorthodox, but doctor-supervised method. But the jarring price difference underscores just how out of whack drug prices have become in the U.S. Each time a drug is priced up in the stratosphere, it sets a precedent for the next manufacturer to do the same, sending drug costs in an upward spiral with no real ceiling except for public outcry.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.