Thursday, March 10, 2011

Making P17 Unreachable

A NICU nurse alerted me to this and to say that I am pissed off is putting it lightly.  A pharmaceutical company, K-V Pharmaceuticals, has been approved to market P17 (as a drug called Makena), making its cost go from about $20/dose to $1500/dose.  For many women who dont have insurance or for those with percentage based co-pays, this is going to make the drug practically unattainable. (Click here for another article).

WTF!!! Obviously, K-V could care less that, if women dont get this, many could deliver even more preterm babies, that will cost insurance companies MILLIONS in NICU care (or cost their parents the enormous, never ending grief of their deaths due to prematurity or complications from it).  I am angry.  Beyond ticked off.  I was grateful for those 'butt shots' and believe that, as part of my care, they helped get Bobby and Maya here a little later rather than sooner, and gave them a fighting chance.  Did it do it by itself?  I dont know, but since my PTL is hormonal as well as cervical, it didn't hurt and may have been the deciding factor that got me to 27w5d instead of 17w or 20w or 23w.

This is UNACCEPTABLE.  And let's tell them so.  Tweet it, Facebook it, Blog it.  Let YOUR community know that this type of bullshit is not going to fly in the face of so many of us delivering preterm babies.  And, while you're at it, let K-V know that their moneymaking scheme, at the expense of babies and their parents, is not just wrong, but crosses a line that we are willing to fight them on.

Write them here:
Investor Relations Department
KV Pharmaceutical Company
One Corporate Woods Drive
Bridgeton, MO 63044
Phone: 314-645-6600
Fax: 314-646-3751
E-mail: [email protected] AND  [email protected]



Ther-Rx Corporation 
Corporate Headquarters 
One Corporate Woods Drive 
Bridgeton, MO 63044 Phone: (314) 646-3700 or (877) 567-7676 
Fax: (314) 646-3701 
[email protected]

6 comments:

Jenni said...

thanks for your note on my blog michele! this is so outrageous. what would it take to petition march of dimes and demand that they condemn the price hike and/or exclusive license? it sickens me that they haven't come out against it.

Jess said...

I am in St. Louis and this has been a hot topic around here. Though I have needed this drug it makes me angry that they are doing this! It is just so...wrong! I will definitely be writing them a letter.

Anna said...

Disgusting. Thanks for the contact info; I edited my angry, profanity-laced, ranting post to add the link.

areyoukiddingme said...

I saw this on Yahoo News and reposted it on Facebook. The quote from the company rep essentially said that insurance companies would pay that much because it was still cheaper than paying for the care to keep an extremely early infant alive. This is the most revolting thing I've ever seen.

Anonymous said...

The thing these people forget is even WITH drugs premature babies are delivered (well, not US- but the drug companies). So they have the insurance company paying huge amounts- probably dropping people....AND paying for expensive prenatal care. UGH.

Anonymous said...

PS- I am going to repost your post on my blog instead of jsut linking b/c I think SOME people don't click over...I am giving you credit for the whole thing though. <3
I just love how you said it.