Remember Pharma Bro?
Backstory
Back in 2015, Big Gov and Big Pharma crushed him because he outmaneuvered the pharmaceutical-government cartel by acquiring the rights to sell Darapin, a drug used to treat toxoplasmosis, which is a disease resulting from a parasite infection.
Shortly after he acquired the license for Darapin, he increased the price from $17.50 per pill to $750 per pill and “made bank.” The government (our elected officials) and pharmaceutical executives, however, screamed bloody murder, as they say.
In other words, Pharma Bro increased the price of Darapin by about 43x. Yet, some insurance companies and pharmacies are charging more than 100x the price for the generic version of Gleevec, a drug used to treat cancer, with impunity.
What About Insurance Companies?
For instance, in a blog post titled “CVS And Cigna Charge $6,000 For $55 Generics” shared on ZeroHedge and authored by Mish Shedlock of Mishtalk, “health insurers dramatically mark up prices of generics and pharmacies.” Mish presents some charts that compare prices charged for branded and generic drugs by a few insurance companies to the prices charged by the new Cost Plus Drugs pharmacy started by businessman and tech entrepreneur Mark Cuban.
Some Takeaways:
- Cigna can charge roughly $6,610 a month for Gleevec, the Journal’s analysis found. CVS Health can charge more than $7,000 a month. But, a person may buy the generic version of Gleevec for $55 per month!
- CVS’s prices were 24.2 times higher on average for 17 generic drugs.
- Cigna’s prices were 27.4 times higher than Cuban’s on average for 19 generic drugs.
Price Gouging Meme
Meanwhile, here’s Big Education and Big Gov doing their thing:
Where’s Pharma Bro Nowadays?
So, what’s Pharma Bro up to these days?
Well, he’s working on collaborating with hip-hop artist Moneybagg Yo to create some rap songs. He is also active on his YouTube channel, The Shkreli Pill, providing his opinions on business, finance, and other topics such as these:
- Learning Python1It’s a computer programming language.
- Harvard Undergraduate Studies: Cell Biology 101
- Investing & Financial Lessons
- The FTX / Crypto Crash Era
- Stock Analysis
Pharma Bro Philosphy
Here’s one video whereby he answers questions about being productive.
Pharma Bro (on listening to advice from Bill Gates on how to be productive): “The guy [Bill Gates] hasn’t done anything in thirty years.”
Me: “Wrong! Bill Gates has had several productive ‘dinners‘ in the 2010s with a convicted pedophile, and black-mail artist extraordinaire, Jeffrey Epstein, to allegedly raise money for The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.”
Babylon Bee | Bill Gates Meme
Closing Words
I can write this stuff because I don’t use Microsoft’s products such as Windows OS and MS Office. Instead, I use Linux and LibreOffice.
So, what about you? What is your experience with the prices of prescription drugs? Have you tried Mark Cuban’s new, affordable pharmacy?
Footnotes
- 1It’s a computer programming language.
