Next week, the cost of preventing premature childbirth will skyrocket when a drug given to high-risk pregnant women goes from around $10 a dose to $1,500 a dose. The drug, called Makena, which has been made cheaply for years and is given as a weekly shot, could make the total cost during a pregnancy as much as $30,000. Why? Because KV Pharmaceutical of St. Louis recently won FDA approval to exclusively sell Makena last month.

 By receiving "orphan drug status," KV's subsidiary Ther-RX Corp. will now be "the sole source of the drug for seven years." In justifying the 14,900 percent price hike, KV Pharmaceuticals says that pregnant women will be willing to pay the new price because if they don't, they could have a premature baby, or "preemie," which could cost much much more: link

Thank god President Obama saved us from having the ability to negotiate prices or reimport cheaper prescription drugs. Another great benefit of the health insurance legislation.

Noting that African-American women have a higher percentage of premature births, and that fewer women will be able to afford the drug, Brown said he is "gravely concerned" that premature birth rates will increase nationwide. "[H]ealth insurance companies could either stop coverage of the treatment or impose higher premiums on consumers," Brown said, adding that "state Medicaid programs -- which are already struggling to make ends meet -- will be forced to deal with the financial repercussions" of the "exorbitant" hike.

He would clear the rubble from the mouth of the shaft, he would bend the handle of the teaspoon in a loop and tie the string to it, he would lower it down the shaft deep into the earth, and when he brought it up there would be water in the bowl of the spoon; and in that way, he would say, one can live.