Citing Concerns Over Cost and Access, Dr. Robbie Goldstein Calls for Immediate Action to Limit Profiteering Off Coronavirus Treatment and Prevention Strategies

March 24, 2020

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration granted orphan drug status to remdesivir - a potential treatment for COVID-19 being developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc. 

The decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant Gilead Sciences, Inc. and its experimental treatment remdesivir orphan drug status gives the company exclusive rights to a much needed medication to treat coronavirus. Orphan drug status is used to designate a medication that will treat a rare disease or will fail to be profitable. As of today, there are over 60,000 cases of COVID-19 in the United States and nearly 500,000 worldwide, with case numbers expected to increase sharply.

“I wish I could say I’m alarmed. But the truth is, this is more of the same from Big Pharma and the FDA” said Dr. Robbie Goldstein, candidate for Congress in the Massachusetts 8th District and an Infectious Disease physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Countless people in our district and around the country have gone bankrupt trying to pay for their prescription drugs. We cannot allow the same thing to happen with COVID-19 treatment.”

Orphan drug status grants Gilead lucrative incentives and limits generic competition for the medication. According to Dr. Goldstein, “this gives Gilead alone the ability to profit off of this drug for the next eight years, and a green light to charge any price they want. Make no mistake: this move will limit access to those in need and risks making the cost of treatment unaffordable.”