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Sanders Targets Florida Drugmaker Over Drug’s ‘Staggering’ List Price

February 8, 2019

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took aim at Florida-based drug developer Catalyst Pharmaceutical over what he called the “staggering” list price for Firdapse (amifampridine), a treatment for a rare neuromuscular disease that the company plans to launch in the first quarter of 2019.

Catalyst officials said they will list the drug — used to treat Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS) — at $375,000 per year. LEMS affects approximately one in 100,000 individuals in the United States.

In a letter sent to the company, Sanders claimed the drug only costs up to $6,000 to make and accused Catalyst of “corporate greed” that is “threatening access … and handing a completely unwarranted bill to American taxpayers.”

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