Survey Respondents Said “This is Not Science or Healthcare, This is Corporate Greed,” Called Biogen’s Actions “Highway Robbery for Snake Oil”
A new poll conducted by Endpoints News of more than 1,400 biotech and pharmaceutical industry workers found overwhelming consensus: the cost of Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s treatment, Aducanumab, is unjustified and will have major financial implications for patients, taxpayers, and the entire health care system. Nearly 75 percent of respondents found Aducanumab’s $56,000 cost to be “inequitable.”
Here is what industry workers had to say on the matter:
“Aducanumab priced at $56K with the efficacy of a sugar pill is taking advantage of patients, the health care system, and is ruthless.”
“Absolutely not. Unconscionable price for a drug with limited and questionable data, no clear clinical benefit, concerning tox profile and an immense population. 500,000 Alzheimer’s patients per year. 6M prevalent patients. This could devastate Medicare.”
“Since the drug has NOT been proven to be efficacious, the price is astounding[ly] ridiculous. This is not science or healthcare, this is corporate greed.”
“Highway robbery for snake oil.”
“How are [tax]payers going to focus on any other disease therapies (with far better efficacy) when they’re distracted with this giant line item? They’ve handed Biogen a gigantic blockbuster without them earning it.”
“Potentially dangerous to patients without any real indication of benefit.”
“Borderline fraud. I have an ethical obligation to my patients. I will never prescribe.”
“There is not enough proof of efficacy. Biogen will make a boat-load of profit selling an unproven drug at a high price based on the (false?) hopes of patients.”
“Data presented by Biogen is at the best weak, and at the worst totally irrelevant. This is coupled with high costs to consumers for, at best, modest improvements in therapeutic outcomes.”