From Rick Doblin of MAPS (The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), February 28, 2014:
Orphan Drug Designation means that GW will charge astronomical prices for Epidiolex.
See: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/the-orphan-jackpot/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
For example, GHB is an orphan drug for narcolepsy and had sales last year of over half a billion dollars. “Today, Xyrem costs more than $65,000 per year for the typical user.”
See also: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20131005/MAGAZINE/310059972
“The market for drug therapies for rare diseases is becoming increasingly crowded with expensive new products, a Modern Healthcare review of FDA approval and company pricing data shows. Most of the new orphan drugs cost more than $7,500 a month, which has prompted some experts to call on drugmakers to reduce prices and take smaller profits.”
High CBD plant-based products will be a fraction of the cost of Epidolex. However, insurance will cover Epidolex but not plant-based products unless we force NIDA to provide marijuana to FDA-regulated research, or we wait till we can import medical grade marijuana from abroad for FDA-regulated research.
Rick
