Biotech Values

[iwfal]

RTRX

The current pricing tells me this CEO is worse than the worst.

Suggest that the demonizing is a tad overdone:

1) I think everyone who watches rare diseases is aware that one of the difficulties of ultra rare diseases is building awareness (and associated registry). I'll try to find actual stats (e.g. From Biomarin) but am very confident it costs many millions - not something affordable or worthwhile at $10 per day per patient. Suggest the company should be judged partly by how they grow the registry population. How much they end up pulling in per additional life they save.

2) I would suggest that the moral outrage is disproportionate even if #1 is minimal. E.g. Some are saying it is ok to charge exorbitant rates if you put the drug through trials. Even though that too is very high risk adjusted return compared to most approved drugs. Is that appropriate? (I'd suggest a large hunk of the outrage is about his style and the abruptness of the change compared to, say, JAZZ.)

3) Question: if RTRX manages to repurpose their drugs to other, related, rare diseases (via trials) would it then be fair to increase the price to typical rare disease costs despite that impacting the current patients in the original disease? Or, more generally, if they do run other trials in other rare disease using the 'rent seeking' money doesn't that matter?

All told I'll wait to judge the morality compared to, say, Biomarin. IMO it is as much about how the money is spent as how it was acquired. (BTW - this whole area is rife with moral unpleasantness. E.g. People generally like the concept of QALY, but under QALY most rare diseases wouldn't be funded.)