STAT+: Canadian agency loses a battle in effort to force a drug maker to lower ‘excessive’ pricing
In a withering ruling, a Canadian appeals court overturned a controversial decision issued four years ago by a government agency that ordered Alexion Pharmaceuticals to lower the price of a rare disease medicine and reimburse the government for “excessive” pricing.
The ruling follows a long-running struggle that began after the drug maker six years ago refused to lower its price for Soliris, which, depending upon the disease, costs approximately $400,000 to $560,000 per patient. The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, which demanded a lower price, also ordered the company to repay sales generated by the drug from 2012 through the first half of 2014.
