The most common medicine against gout, named Colchicine, has been in continuous use for centuries. The pills used to cost 9 to 13 cents a piece.
In 2010, the FDA took it upon itself to prohibit the production of this proven medicine, and has given one single drug company the exclusive license to market virtually the same drug, named Colcrys, at a price of its own choosing. It turned out to be $5.50 for one single pill (as of March 7, 2013). At a maintenance dose of two pills per day, this translates to $330 per month, and much more if flare-ups occur.
While apparently no law has been broken, one wonders about the judgment and the conscience of the FDA bureaucrats and the lawmakers who empowered them. There was a drug that has served us well for centuries, and they find it useful to protect us from it, at a huge expense to the afflicted.
Do they have any idea about the suffering they are causing for the countless unfortunate people who cannot afford this outrageous expense, the people they claim to serve and protect?
Erwin Hauer
Bethany