Daraprim treats toxoplasmosis, an infection that can cause damage to the brain, eyes or other organs. People can contract toxoplasmosis by eating undercooked, contaminated meat or shellfish and it is the leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S.
Pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems — such as people with HIV or AIDS — are more susceptible to severe toxoplasmosis.
In 2015, shortly after Turing Pharmaceuticals (now known as Vyera Pharmaceuticals) bought Daraprim, which is the only drug approved to treat toxoplasmosis, Mr. Shkreli raised the list price from $17.50 to $750 per tablet.
Daraprim was No. 7 on GoodRx’s list of most expensive drugs in 2020, with a monthly list price of $45,000.
The generic version is made by Cerovene, a Valley Cottage, N.Y.-based generic drugmaker.
The drugmaker didn’t disclose how much it plans to charge for its generic version of Daraprim or when it will hit the market.
Read the full news release here.
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