An FDA approval could come at a major cost for patients

An FDA approval could come at a major cost for patients





Good morning! Andrew Joseph here filling in for Megan for one more day. She'll be back with you Monday. 

Inside STAT: Why some patients are concerned about the approval of a new drug for their condition

PRICE CHECK AISLE 3,4 (DOM SMITH/STAT)

The FDA approval this week of a new treatment for Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome wasn’t greeted as good news by some patients with the neuromuscular disorder. Instead, they’re worried about losing access to their medicines. Patients like Vickie Moored of Elkton, Va., have for years been prescribed a nearly identical drug, 3,4-DAP, off-label and gotten it either from a compounding pharmacy for a few hundred dollars a month or for no charge from a New Jersey company. But with its new FDA approval in hand, Florida-based Catalyst Pharmaceuticals could now charge thousands for a medicine that costs almost nothing to make. The company could also block patients from getting the drug they now take. STAT’s Meghana Keshavan has the story here.