Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, joined 151 other organizations from across the nation in signing an open letter to Turing Pharmaceuticals urging company CEO Martin Shkreli to immediately act on his promise to lower the price on Daraprim -- a crucial and often lifesaving treatment for those living with HIV.
“Physicians are reporting that the continued failure of Mr. Shkreli to roll back his unconscionable 5,000 percent increase in the cost of Daraprim has forced them to switch vulnerable people from the medically-preferred medication to potentially less effective treatments,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “It is simply shocking that this greedy price gouging is jeopardizing the health of women, children, infants, and people living with HIV.”
The open letter calls on Turing to take the following actions immediately:
Lower the $750 per tablet price to a level comparable to the previous price of $13.50;
Provide parity on pricing for inpatient and outpatient settings;
Offer support under the patient assistance program to patients with incomes at the level of at least 500 percent of the federal poverty level;
Provide transparency regarding eligibility and documentation requirements for the patient assistance and co-pay assistance programs;
Cover the maximum out-of-pocket costs ($6,600 for an individual plan and $13,200 for a family plan in 2015) on co-insurance and copayments allowable under the Affordable Care Act, and
Ensure same day and direct access to the drug in the communities where patients live.
Last week, at HRC’s urging, the the New York attorney general began investigating whether Turing Pharmaceuticals may have violated antitrust laws by limiting distribution of a drug that is essential to the lives of medically vulnerable people
HRC has also sent letters to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chair of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce; and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, seeking an investigation into the actions of Turing Pharmaceuticals, which increased the price of Daraprim overnight from $13.50 to $750 per tablet. The letters also called for an inquiry into Turing’s acquisition of Daraprim, the pricing strategy for the drug, investments made to bring the drug to market, the impact of that strategy on patient access, and the increased cost to federally-funded health programs. And they requested a hearing on formulary and tiering structure for prescription medications offered through health exchanges.
Additionally, using the hashtag #rollitback, HRC is asking its more than 1.5 million members and supporters to keep the pressure on Turing Pharmaceuticals, and Shkreli, to roll back the price of the drug immediately.
