BRIEF—More drug price gouging revealed

Another instance of massive price gouging in the US pharma market has been revealed by the Financial Times, this time by Ireland-based Horizon Pharma, regarding its arthritis drug Vimovo (naproxen/esomeprazole magnesium), which combines a painkiller with an antacid ingredient.

When Horizon acquired rights to the drug from AstraZeneca in 2013, its US price for a bottle of 60 pills was $138, and has steadily risen. This month it was further increased to a staggering $2,979 per bottle, an increase of more than 2,000%. Ironically, the latest hike was only 9.9%, keeping it in line with an industry-wide price hike pledge of no more than 10%.

The FT points out that the two active ingredients, both available for over-the-counter sale, can be purchased for as little as $36.

Horizon also markets another two-in-one painkiller, Duexis, which is a mixture of ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug, and famotidine, an antacid. A bottle of 90 tablets is also priced at $2,979, while buying the pills separately can cost as little as $15. The company generated $134 million in sales from both products in the first nine months of last year, the FT noted.