STAT+: Roche suffers a fresh blow as India\u2019s Supreme Court allows generic sales of its pricey rare disease drug
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In a case that was billed as profits versus patients, India\u2019s Supreme Court dismissed a petition<\/a> in which Roche sought to prevent a generic drugmaker from selling a lower-cost version of a pricey rare disease medication.<\/p>\n The decision came after a lower court earlier this month upheld a ruling<\/a> that it would be in the public interest to allow Natco Pharma to sell a version of Evrysdi for about $179 a bottle. By comparison, Roche charges $6,982 for its drug, which is used to combat spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disorder that causes certain muscles to become weak and waste away. \u00a0One severe form of the disease can lead to death by age 2 if left untreated.<\/p>\n Currently, more than 5,000 people in India are living with the disease and about 3,200 children are born each year with the condition, but fewer than 170 people accessed the drug a year ago, according to advocacy groups. The annual cost for an adult patient is $81,000, but while a patient assistance program exists, availability is restricted to what the Deli High Court recently described as a \u201cminuscule\u201d number of people.<\/p>\n Continue to STAT+ to read the full story\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n