While this conduct was outrageous, it wasn’t illegal. Shrekli, unsurprisingly, was vilified (and, for unrelated reasons, ultimately indicted on fraud). The price hike put patients’ health at risk, leading to a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars for some. The drug, 62 years old at the time, was not covered by a patent and was a key antibiotic used in treating persons with HIV/AIDS. Turing Pharmaceuticals, and its then-chief executive Martin Shkreli, raised the price of the drug Daraprim, which treats a life-threatening parasitic infection, from $13.50 to $750 per tablet. This is hardly the first example of sharp price increases.
Those with high-deductible insurance plans, which includes a growing number of Americans, do not get much relief, however. The company does offer a savings program that applies to some consumers. In the last year alone, the price has climbed by $200. The price increase, from about US$94 for a two-pack of injectable epinephrine to more than $600 in just nine years, has members of Congress calling for investigations in how Mylan, the drug’s manufacturer, can justify this increase. The rising price for EpiPens, a drug delivery system that is crucial for persons experiencing potentially life-threatening allergic reactions, has resulted in outrage.
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