Should high priced drugs offer a money back guarantee if they do not work as advertised? Check this out.

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pillsShould high priced drugs offer a money back guarantee if they do not work as advertised?  Check this out.

Many of us have been given drugs that have been expensive and were of dubious benefit, and some may have made us ill in ways that were different from the problems we had hoped to get relief from.

Some of these drugs can cost thousands of dollars, and to have them be ineffective, is basically like throwing money away.

Recently, GlaxoSmithKline actually offered a refund of the drug they make for “Bubble Boy Syndrome” did not work as advertised to improve the immune response of those suffering from the condition.

Part of the dilemma is that some of these drugs are so expensive, that government run health plans in Europe are reluctant to pay for these medications.   GlaxoSmithKline had negotiated with local governments to offer a refund as an inducement to pay for an expensive drug and refund the amount paid if the drug did not work as advertised.

Could this be the start of a trend?  Check this out

Drug companies offer ‘money back guarantees’ to make cutting-edge therapies more attractive

By Sarah Knapton, science editor
14 AUGUST 2016

Drug companies have started offering ‘money back guarantees’ in their treatments to make eye-wateringly expensive therapies more attractive.

This week British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said it would include a warranty for its cutting-edge new gene therapy for “Bubble Boy syndrome”™, a rare disorder which leaves suffers with such a compromised immune system that they are advised to live in a completely sterile environment.

GSK gained European approval for gene therapy Strimvelis in May but healthcare providers have been reluctant to pay for it, as it costs around £500,000 per patient, making it one of the most expensive treatments in the world.

With Strimvelis the patient”™s bone marrow cells are removed and a normal copy of the defective ADA gene is inserted into the cells. The gene-corrected cells are then given back to the patient via an intravenous infusion.

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