NEW PRESCRIPTION FOR CYSTIC FIBROSIS

I remember as a young medical student in Chicago how devastating a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis was.

Still today, as a veteran Fort Myers plastic surgeon, it breaks my heart to think about these youngsters.They would usually never live long enough to get their drivers license.

There are over 30,000 patients with cystic fibrosis in American today.

Vertex Pharmaceutical just got FDA approval for a new pill called Kalydeco. It is used to treat a small segment of cystic fibrosis patients.

The cost for one year - $294,000.

The reason? Because the company spent millions to develop it and the number of people using it will be miniscule.

A more expensive drug is Soliris. It is used to treat a certain blood disorder and it’s cost? $409,500 per year.

It seems shameful that these drugs cost so much. But, if there is not enough income to pay for the research, there would be no research.

And the good news is that every breakthrough usually opens the door for another breakthrough.