This almost sounds like a giant international pharmaceutical company is more interested in making obscene profits than in helping people get a drug that can save their lives. Do you think the price people are willing to pay to survive has anything to do with the ultimate cost of Exjade? Hmmm. I wonder what their equation looks like. Maybe something like this:
Cost of research and development + marketing costs + manufacturing costs + subsidizing a nifty conference costs + perceived value of one's life by patients/parents + how much can insurance companies be soaked for + legal fees to try to keep India from saving the lives of its own patients = a whole lot of $$$$.
When one compares the cost of Kelfer or the generic forms of L1 made in Pakistan to the cost of Ferriprox, which is the same drug, one might get the impression that the drug companies are making some rather tidy profits. It will be extremely interesting to see what the cost will be in India if Cipla or another manufacturer does release their own version of Exjade in India. My guess would be the cost will be less than 10% of what it costs from the mighty Novartis.
The manufacture of life-saving drugs, even when patented by another company, is allowed under international agreements. In spite of these agreements, Novartis continues to battle to prevent Exjade from being cheaply produced in India. Let's pray the Indian courts continue to put the lives of patients above profits.