Shkreli, CEO Reviled for Drug Price Gouging, Arrested on Securities Fraud Charges

[Chan790]

22. Unfortunately, not before he did more harm.

Yesterday (Edit: actually, more like last month), he began the process to get FDA approval for benznidazole, the only known treatment for Chagas disease--a parasitic illness common in Latin America, with the intention of charging a course-of-treatment cost to rival that of current Hep-C treatment-courses. (about $100,000 per person)

While we've known how to treat Chagas for decades, its treatment was never submitted to the FDA by mutual understanding. Nobody patents it or applies for manufacturing approval, and the FDA will import whatever is needed from Brazil where it is produced and approved and distribute it for free. Because the majority of people needing the treatment are immigrants in poverty and refugees, it never made much sense for any American company to submit anyways...that changed with the ACA and large numbers of patients needing it now being on Medicaid. Now Pharma-Bro Shkreli sees a windfall of federal monies in his pockets if he corners the market; fuck him to hell, I hope he goes to prison.

Here's a good Atlantic article on it: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/12/pharma-bro-martin-shkreli-chagas-fda/420249/