3rd June 2016
From Bloomberg.com:
“Three drugmakers have disclosed receiving subpoenas amid a widening federal investigation into pharmaceutical companies’ relationships with charities that help people afford their products. One of the companies, Jazz Pharmaceuticals said it received a subpoena this month for documents related to the company’s support of charities that provide financial assistance for Medicare patients. The Jazz disclosure specifically mentioned its narcolepsy drug Xyrem, which can cost about $90,000 per year, but didn’t provide details about which relationships with specific charities were under scrutiny.”
This is exactly the reason why inflated prices are sustained. If the insurance system in the US is prepared to pay then global pricing by pharma is also the reason why patients in Europe suffers the same cost barriers, even if funding comes from state supplied services like the UK National Health Service.
Narcolepsy UK receives no funding from pharmaceutical companies and in the event that we were approached, we have a very transparent and strict criteria that must be adhered to.