12 July 2017 - Novartis recently discovered that a drug it sells for a group of very rare diseases could be used to treat a much more common ailment. There is just one problem: its $US16,000-per-dose ($A21,000) price tag.

The drug, called ACZ885, is already sold under the brand name Ilaris for certain rare inflammatory disorders affecting a very small number of people. But a recent clinical trial suggests it could also reduce the risk of serious complications like strokes in people who have suffered a heart attack.

If the drug does pan out with regulators, Novartis would have to drastically cut its price to make it competitive with other cardiovascular drugs. That would mean jettisoning a small, but reliable, revenue stream on an uncertain bet that the drug could become a top seller as a cardiovascular medicine.

Read The Australian article