I was so excited when I read this letter from the President of the March of Dimes to Ther-Rx regarding Makena.
As a maternal-child nurse and clinical social worker I know from experience how important it is for patients to be able to have access to important medications like Makena. I am so pleased to see the March of Dimes take such a pro-active response to the current situation concerning the affordability of Makena and its availability to the patients that need it.
Thank you March of Dimes!
March of Dimes demands action:
“A letter from Dr. Jennifer Howse, March of Dimes President, to Greg Divis, President Ther-Rx Corporation regarding Makena.
March 23, 2011
Greg Divis, President
Ther-Rx Corporation
One Corporate Woods
Bridgeton, MO 63044
Dear Mr. Divis:
Thank you for your letter of March 17th. I am pleased to learn that you are ‘listening carefully to stakeholder concerns about list price, patient access, and cost to payers’. Thank you for considering additional steps to ensure that Makena is available to all eligible women, and for convening stakeholders from the March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine next week.
In advance of that meeting, I want to go on the record that March of Dimes expects Ther-Rx to come to the table with substantive commitments including:
1) A significant reduction in the list price of Makena.
2) Adjustments to the patient assistance program to ensure adequate coverage of all patients, insured, uninsured and underinsured.
3) A method for reporting on a regular basis to stakeholders on the patient assistance program to ensure that it is meeting needs in a timely and adequate way.
4) A justification or rationale for your pricing based on your investment in the product, savings to the health care system, or other appropriate methodology, which you are prepared to make public.
Without these elements, I do not believe that Makena can succeed in the current marketplace environment, and as a result, at -risk women will be denied access to a safe and effective treatment to reduce preterm delivery. Therefore if you are unable to make a clear commit-ment to significantly address the above issues at the meeting, the March of Dimes will need to pursue alternative strategies for ensuring that this proven intervention to prevent preterm birth is made available to all medically eligible pregnant women, and we will step away from our longstanding and productive corporate relationship with Ther-RX. Thank you for your consideration of this critical matter.
Sincerely,
Jennifer L. Howse, PhD
President
Tags: 17p, Makena, Ther-Rx
via News Moms Need » Blog Archive » MOD demands prompt action.