Life has a steep price, according to pharmaceutical companies
I have a purple bracelet on my right wrist every day. At first glance, it looks like any other plastic band, but to me, it holds a deeper meaning.My bracelet is for Cystic Fibrosis Awareness; my bracelet is for my best friend, Michael.
Some people have heard of Cystic Fibrosis through the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which was started by former New York Jets quarterback, Boomer Esiason. His son, Gunnar is one of 30,000 people in the United States with CF. There are 70,000 people worldwide and 30,000 people in the United States who live with CF, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.Cystic Fibrosis is an incurable genetic mutation that’s inherited from parents when they both carry the gene. But it’s mostly caused by the mutation of a gene that produces CFTR, a protein. The main symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis are persistent lung infections, coughing with shortness of breath, as well as very salty tasting skin.
I want to talk about a wonder drug, Orkambi. In 2014, a clinical trial was done for CF patients with the delF508 mutation, which is the most common mutation in those with CF. This trial combined two Vertex Pharmaceuticals CF drugs – Ivacaftor and Lumacaftor. Vertex is the main manufacturer of drugs for those with CF. The combination of these drugs resulted in the creation
of Orkambi.This trial proved to be successful in increasing the scores of the FEV1 test, which is used to measure breathing. In the first trial, there was a 2.16 percent increase in FEV1 scores of those who were given Orkambi. This was a tremendous breakthrough for the CF community, as 70 percent of people with CF (8,500) have the specific mutation that Orkambi treats.
I would love to say that 8,500 people got to have Orkambi, but that would be untrue. Like most major medicines, Orkambi is expensive. That’s not news to anyone, but the price tag can mean life or death for some.According to the Boston Globe, it’s almost $260,000 per year, per patient. With there being 8,500 eligible people to take this medicine, if all of these people could afford the drug, Vertex would be making $2,201,500,000 a year, for the duration of these people’s lives.
Vertex is putting a price on lives at this point. When does the pharmaceutical company stop and look at the facts that you are profiting off of the sickness of others? CF patiends need a right to try. It’s my hope that Vertex Pharmaceuticals realizes they’re taking away years that people could have with their loved ones.
Myers is a member of College Democrats, Coyote Crazies
and CRU.
