Lawmakers Seek Answers From Jaguar Health on Mytesi Price Hike

Two lawmakers are pressing Jaguar Health to reverse the three-fold price hike on its diarrhea drug Mytesi (crofelemer) that has been considered as a possible COVID-19 treatment.

Mytesi is approved for noninfectious diarrhea in adults living with HIV/AIDS who are receiving antiretroviral therapy. The company tripled the price on the drug from $688.52 per bottle to $2,206.52 per bottle early last month.

Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) say the timing of the price increase raised concerns about whether it was based on the expectation that Mytesi could be marketed as a COVID-19 treatment.

The lawmakers claim that Jaguar was reportedly in discussions with the NIH’s National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) about Mytesi as a treatment for coronavirus patients, although the FDA has denied the drug an Emergency Use Authorization.

Jaguar defended the price increase, saying that the decision to raise the price was made in December 2019 as part of its program to expand access to the drug and still be profitable.

The company denied being in conversations with NIAID about Mytesi as a potential COVID-19 treatment.

Read the letter here: www.fdanews.com/05-05-20-Letter.pdf. — Jordan Williams