Martin Shkreli became known as the most hated man in America after he raised the price of an anti-parasitic drug to $750 (£600). Now a group of Australian schoolboys have recreated it for a fraction of the cost.
Under the supervision of the University of Sydney and Open Source Malaria, Sydney Grammar students have reproduced Daraprim – a drug used to treat toxoplasmosis and commonly prescribed to people with HIV.
Various reports suggest the cost of the drug created by the students ranges from US$2 (£1.60) to US$15 (£12) a pill, but whatever the manufacturing costs, it certainly beats the $750 price point demanded by Turing Pharmaceuticals – the company that manufactures the drug.
#ICYMI: These school kids managed to recreate #Daraprim‘s active ingredient for just $20 pic.twitter.com/3lu4BaysOg
— ABC News (@abcnews) November 30, 2016
Last year prices for Daraprim rose from $13.50 (£10) to $750 per tablet overnight after an unprecedented price hike by Shkreli, former chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals.
The firm acquired the market rights to the medicine in September 2015 and raised the price of a dose more than 5,000% overnight.
Shkreli was vilified online and became known as the “most hated man in America”, but he defended the hike even in the face of criticism from political leaders including Hillary Clinton.
Price gouging like this in the specialty drug market is outrageous. Tomorrow I’ll lay out a plan to take it on. -H https://t.co/9Z0Aw7aI6h
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 21, 2015
Such was the widespread outrage, Mr Shkreli became locked in a surreal Twitter feud with Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ghostface Killah.
Ghostface Kills Martin Shkreli (verbally, politically, & emotionally) https://t.co/mwkUOD9aJO
— Ghostface Killah (@GhostfaceKillah) February 9, 2016
The drug is on the World Health Organisation’s list of essential medicines.
Sydney Grammar’s year 11 students recreated the formula for pyrimethamine – the ingredient used in Daraprim – in their high school laboratories in an attempt to “highlight the inequity of the monopoly”.
“Anyone could take part and all data and ideas are shared in real time.”
Meanwhile, Shkreli has been responding to comments on Twitter about the story in typically combative style.
@nedavanovac lol how is that showing anyone up? almost any drug can be made at small scale for a low price. glad it makes u feel good tho.
— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) December 1, 2016
@Scottyt2Hottie yea uh anyone can make any drug it is pretty ez
— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) December 1, 2016
The findings have been presented at the 2016 Royal Australian Chemical Institute Organic One Day Symposium.
