15 June 2019 | New Scientist | 3THIS week, protesters in England
continued to call for access to a medicine
called Orkambi. The drug delays the
progression of the genetic disorder
cystic fibrosis, but it carries a price tag
of £104,000 a year. Like many other
countries, England’s health service
has baulked at this cost, and the drug
is currently only available privately.
Some families have now formed
a “buyers club” (see page 9), which is
hoping to source a cheaper, generic
version of the medicine from Argentina.
Such clubs are becoming more common:
in recent years, groups have formed
to source drugs that treat hepatitis C
and lower the risk of contracting HIV.
But even when clubs can source
cheaper drugs, the costs remain
unaffordable for many people. Some
families are now calling for the UKgovernment to circumvent the patent
on the drug and provide the generic
version in England through the National
Health Service.
As one of the largest single markets
for healthcare products in the world, the
NHS has significant clout, and it is often
argued that it should take a harder line
with multinational drug companies. But
the UK government is unlikely to take
strong action amid the political turmoil
of Brexit. Were drug companies to stopinvesting in medical research in the UK,
this would come as a heavy blow.
Drug firms say they charge high prices
to recoup their research costs. It is easy
to criticise these for being too high, but
we are now starting to see what happens
when firms are unable to profit from
their research. After decades of fruitless
clinical trials, major drug firms are
closing their specialist Alzheimer’s units.
It is now difficult to see how promising
drug candidates for the disease will
reach clinical trials (see page 7).
We depend on private companies
to develop treatments, but their need
to profit has far-reaching consequences.
For many years, the lack of new
antibiotics has been the primary
example of the problems with this
system. Unfortunately, the list of
examples is now growing. ❚Who will pay?
Drugs are increasingly becoming too expensive to use
The leader
FACUNDOARRIZAB
AL
AGA/EPA/SHUTTE
RS
TOCKProtesters in
England calling
for the drug
Orkambi to be
made available
in 2017EDITORIAL
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