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Big Price Increase for Tuberculosis Drug Is Rescinded



Greedy Dragon guarding treasure




Specialists in infectious disease are protesting a gigantic overnight increase in the price of a 62-year-old drug that is the standard of care for treating a life-threatening parasitic infection. The drug, called Daraprim, was acquired in August by Turing Pharmaceuticals, a start-up run by a former hedge fund manager. Turing immediately raised the price to $750 a tablet from $13.50, bringing the annual cost of treatment for some patients to hundreds of thousands of dollars. “What is it that they are doing differently that has led to this dramatic increase?” said Dr. Judith Aberg, the chief of the division of infectious diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She said the price increase could force hospitals to use “alternative therapies that may not have the same efficacy.” Sept. 20

A huge overnight price increase for an important tuberculosis drug has been rescinded after the company that acquired the drug gave it back to its previous owner under pressure, it was announced on Monday. Sept 21  http://goo.gl/A2lqpU






The solar eclipse of Sept.13 fell in tropical Virgo  and is therefore , among other things, speaking to us about drugs. It was conjunct  Juno, the asteroid associated with “$$$ & fairness” [1] so that we can see why the issue is all about the price of a drug.

On Sept. 21, just when the issue raised a public hue and cry, the Moon went into its first quarter phase.  A chart for the phase at New York has Jupiter (with medical asteroid Hygiea) opposite Neptune on the horizon axis square Saturn on the IC.



Gula – Goddess of healing



 The combination Jupiter-Hygiea-Neptune is linked to respiratory or lung related diseases. Here Jupiter and Hygiea are conjunct the star Thuban, alpha Draco of the greedy and money- minded dragon while Neptune is amidst the stars of the ancient healing goddess Gula. Gula here represents the doctors who protested the unjustified price increase by Turing Pharmaceuticals.

Regular readers will remember that we have earlier linked Jupiter-Neptune to “speculative bubbles”. So finally, the square from Saturn, the planet well known to prick any oversized bubbles, puts the greedy dragon’s desire for unrealistic profits  to rest.


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