Image

"The anti-competitive practice by Mallinckrodt engineered 97,000% price hike of Acthar drug."

The Impaakt Team

7 min Read Time | July 1st 2021

Article of the Week - The WOW

Each week our reviewing team picks some of the best articles published on our platform and our team vote for which they think deserve the accolade of the 'WOW' award.

Image

Read on to discover the winner this week...

It you'd like to become a writer for us you'll need to get Certified, or you can have your voice heard by becoming an expert at rating impact by joining our Rating Certification here.

Written by: Priyam S

Company: Mallinckrodt

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions


Feedback from the reviewing team:

"Priyam does a great job of explaining the concerning topic at hand, reinforced with solid research. Poor practices by pharmaceutical companies not only impact progress toward SDG 16 but also SDG3 Good Health and Well-being."

Read the full article below.

“The anti-competitive practice by Mallinckrodt engineered 97,000% price hike of Acthar drug.”

Spending on drugs is increasing at a higher rate in the US than any other medical spending1;p3. Some studies estimated that the increase is as high as 75% since 20071;p3. In mid-2020, twenty-six leading drug manufacturers in the US were accused of driving up generic drug prices illegally2. Price rigging reduces purchasing power and affects mostly the lower income society3;p90.

H.P. Acthar, a drug owned by Mallinckrodt, is used to treat Multiple Sclerosis (MS) that affects around 400,000 people in the US4;p13. It is also used to treat 2,500 kids a year in the US affected by infantile spasms5.


Acthar is one of the most expensive drugs in the US, the price of which increased by 97,000% from $40 in 2001 to more than $39,000 per vial in 20186. While general inflation rate in the US between 2001 and 2018 was 41.8%7. Mallinckrodt engaged in anti-competitive practice to illegally boost the demand of the drug by using a charitable foundation, and they bribed doctors to prescribe Acthar6. Also, Mallinckrodt created a monopoly by acquiring a competing drugs, Synacthen Depot, from Novartis, which it abandoned without developing it for the US market6.

According to a study published in a British medical journal, more than 200 physicians were very frequent in prescribing Acthar and 88% of them received payments from Mallinckrodt for doing that6. The payment was even more than $10,000 for 20% of physicians6. The study concluded, for every $10,000 spent on the physicians resulted in extra $53,000 in Medicare spending on Acthar8. This activity led Mallinckrodt’s revenue from Medicare to reach $725 million in 2018 from $50 million in 20115. Mallinckrod earns around $1 billion every year from Acthar9. Overall, the drug is responsible for one third of the company’s net revenues in recent years9.


To summarize, Mallinckrod made significant amount of money by making Acthar unaffordable for many through it anti-competitive practice.



Sources

Make sure you sign-in or sign-up and make your ratings about the impact described on the planet and society.

Related
Articles

Based on the article you've just read, here are some more we think you'd be interested in.

WOW Graphics Impaakt Social Media 13

9 Min read

Siemens Healthineers' medical technology impacts 240,000+ patients worldwide per hour

Weekly Outstanding Impact Analysis 16th September

City scape big brands impact

26 Min read

The Impaakt List: 20 Companies with the most impact on the world

Examining the impact that 20 of the worlds largest companies have on environment & society

Reproductive health supplies coalition Hnm9 Wi N Bf QI unsplash

9 Min read

"Meiji provides 140,000 TB patients in low income countries with anti-tuberculosis drug Kanamycin."

Weekly Outstanding Impact Analysis 1st January

BMS raise price of cancer drug

9 Min read

BMS acquired Celgene - repeatedly raised cancer drug Revlimid price to hit aggressive sales targets.

Weekly Outstanding Impact Analysis 18th December

World Green Background Sustainability small

Let’s take action together

With the right investment companies having a positive impact on the planet are able to flourish. Our community forms part of that mission by measuring their impact.

Join Us