Shkreli controversially raised the price of the drug Daraprim, which is used to treat a potentially fatal parasitic infection, by 4,000%, from $13.50 to $750 per pill in 2015. In January, a federal judge banned him from the pharmaceutical industry for life.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has filed a class-action lawsuit — on behalf of itself and insurers from 30-plus states — against Martin Shkreli and Vyera Pharmaceuticals. The suit alleges the defendants intentionally monopolized the market for Daraprim to raise the price of the drug by more than 4,000%.
Across the nation, state-based health insurance exchanges are searching for ways to better serve their communities while making enrollment easier, more personal, and more accessible for everyone.
The drug, used to treat toxoplasmosis infection, became the subject of notoriety in 2015 when manufacturer Turing Pharmaceuticals, then led by Shkreli, raised the price from $13.50 to $750 per pill, making it a poster child for the issue of high drug prices.
In charges announced Monday, the agency says Vyera Pharmaceuticals - formerly Turing Pharma - used deals with distributors to prevent generic companies from obtaining samples and sales data for Daraprim. Vyera called the charges meritless.
Nevertheless, the proposed policy could take Martin Shkreli-like practices "out of the ballgame," expert says.