Posted by Michael Wonder on 11 Jun 2019
Jacobus prices its rare disease drug at half of what Catalyst charges, but will doctors prescribe it?
10 June 2019 - After weeks of anticipation, Jacobus Pharmaceutical, a small, family-run drug maker, has priced its rare disease drug at $80 a tablet, or less than half the price of a similar pill sold by its upstart rival, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals.
And the move is likely to set up a closely watched battle amid what is already one of the more unusual pharmaceutical tales of the year.
At issue are rival treatments for Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, or LEMS. Last month, the FDA approved the Jacobus drug for children ages 6 to 17, potentially adding unforeseen competition for Catalyst, which only last December won an FDA endorsement to market its own treatment for adults.
