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Last week, Marathon Pharmaceuticals announced that it would start selling an old steroid drug that treats Duchenne muscular dystrophy for a whopping $ 89,000 per year of treatment. That’s a steep increase from the $ 1,200-per-year generic version that families could import from other countries.
The standard reactions ensued: patient groups were outraged, health experts fretted, and lawmakers made blustery statements before sending strongly worded letters. The reaction was, sadly, exactly what we’ve seen each time drug makers outrageously price drugs that should be affordable.
But one thing was different this time: Marathon’s eye-popping price tag landed on the heels of an industry-wide effort to distance itself from price gouging. Now, Marathon’s industry partners are joining in the outrage, and Marathon has hit “pause” on the drug’s release. Marathon’s standing within the industry may even be in question, according to the pharmaceutical trade group PhRMA, which currently counts Marathon as a member.
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