NBC Nightly News had a story tonight about pure, unmitigated, heartless greed. There is an unprecedented critical shortage of some life saving cancer drugs, including those that fight childhood cancers. That alone is enough to cause despair for anyone fighting this fight and for their loved ones. Some families are traveling to different states to find hospitals with enough supply for their child to get the treatment they need. A shortage is bad enough, but a recent congressional investigation found that there are companies in the "grey market" that are buying up supplies then reselling them at an average of 650% mark-up in order to capitalize on the shortage.
According to an investigation by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, one company is selling a leukemia drug that usually goes for $12 per vial for $990 per vial. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD,) ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, initiated the investigation after receiving a letter from a concerned mom whose child would have died without a drug that is now in short supply. The investigation has so far found several companies profiteering with all kinds of drugs, from cancer treatments to prenatal anti-seizure meds. Any parent would do anything in their power to get their child life-saving treatment, so parents of dying kids are perfect targets for exploitation. These companies know that people will pay this extortion and they will make a fantastic profit. They simply don't care that this practice is actually killing people.
A September 23rd AP story says
An Associated Press review of industry reports and interviews with nearly two dozen experts found at least 15 deaths in the past 15 months blamed on the shortages, either because the right drug wasn't available or because of dosing errors or other problems in administering or preparing alternative medications.
The shortages, mainly involving widely-used generic injected drugs that ordinarily are cheap, have been delaying surgeries and cancer treatments, leaving patients in unnecessary pain and forcing hospitals to give less effective treatments. That's resulted in complications and longer hospital stays
It's impossible to tell how much these bastards are contributing to the shortage, but hoarding supplies can't help. I live in Florida, where selling a gallon of milk for $12 after a hurricane is a crime. Medical profiteering MUST be criminal. Please send Rep. Cummings encouragement and kudos to him to let him know he's on the side of angels with this. He has also set up a tipline where the public can report suspected incidents of medical price gouging or speculation. Please pass this along to anyone who may be a witness to this behavior.
I've tried but am unable to embed the link to the Nightly News piece, but here's the link.