FTC alleges anticompetitive activities by Vyera over Daraprim

The US Federal Trade Commission has filed a  complaint in federal court against Vyera Pharmaceuticals, LLC alleging an elaborate anticompetitive scheme to preserve a monopoly for the life-saving drug Daraprim (pyrimethamine).

Daraprim is the gold standard treatment for a rare, potentially fatal parasitic infection known as toxoplasmosis. In most people, toxoplasmosis is easily contained by the immune system and causes no symptoms, according to the complaint. But for those with compromised immune systems - such as individuals with HIV/AIDS, cancer patients, or recipients of organ transplants - toxoplasmosis can lead to deadly infections of the brain and lungs.

“Daraprim is a lifesaving drug for vulnerable patients,” said Gail Levine, deputy director of the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission, adding: “Vyera kept the price of Daraprim astronomically high by illegally boxing out the competition.”