The Medical Freedom Channel

“Genzyme Corp. won federal approval yesterday for the first drug to treat a rare genetic disorder called Pompe disease, an intravenous treatment that will be one of the most expensive in the world at more than $200,000 per patient annually. The drug, Myozyme, treats an incurable disease that causes muscle wasting in adults and fatal heart and lung failure in infants. It is currently known to affect only about 1,000 people. … By developing life-saving treatments for extremely rare illnesses, Genzyme has become the largest drug company in Massachusetts and one of the biggest biotechnology companies in the world. It has also emerged as a target for critics who say the healthcare system can’t afford a growing stream of such high-priced drugs.” [editor’s note: Let’s review: A drug that treats a “rare” genetic disorder, and which therefore will only be applicable to a very limited number of people, is being challenged because it costs a lot, and therefore could become “a burden on the healthcare system.” This is only true if: (a) the few who need it are being subsidized by taxpayer dollars, or (b) the drug company expands its use to other ailments, to recapture its investment faster and cut the overall price! The VIOXX and NSAID catastrophes should warn against the latter, and the former is curtailed by ruling the drug out of “mandatory coverage” … Next? - SAT] (04/29/06)