28 March 2017 - It was a symbolic act that spoke volumes. 

On stage with other pharmaceutical executives to talk about drug pricing at the Forbes Healthcare Summit last December, Regeneron cofounder, chairman and chief executive Leonard Schleifer physically moved his chair away from those of his peers.

“If you look at the prices of drugs, they have gone up, sometimes double digits, twice a year as a very efficient way of increasing profits without being coupled to any innovation,” Schleifer said then. “It's ridiculous."

So what does Schleifer, whose Regeneron stake has made him a billionaire, do when the time comes to price his own new drug? Today the FDA approved Dupixent, a medicine made by Regeneron and its partner, Sanofi, to treat severe itching known as atopic dermatitis in patients whose symptoms are not controlled by topical steroids. And Schleifer says that he has made peace with some of the industry’s biggest critics to arrive at what he says is a fair list price: $37,000 per patient per year, a price that he admits is still expensive, but is cost-effective.

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