美國驚現天價皮膚病藥膏
A US drugmaker producing skin creams for common conditions has raised the price of two of its treatments to almost $10,000 a tube in the latest instance of “gouging” in the world’s largest healthcare market, according to figures seen by the Financial Times.
根據英國《金融時報》看到的數字，美國一家生產皮膚病藥膏的製藥商最近把兩款藥膏的價格提高至每支近1萬美元，儘管該公司的產品只是用來治療常見症狀。這是全球最大醫療保健市場最新的“哄抬價格”例證。
Novum Pharma last week more than doubled the price of the ointments, even after similar increases by other drugmakers prompted an outcry and propelled the topic of high healthcare costs into the US presidential campaign.
Novum Pharma上週把兩款藥膏的價格上調一倍以上，即便其他製藥商的類似漲價已經引發公憤，並使醫療費用高昂成為美國總統競選的一個話題。
Martin Shkreli became an international pariah last year after he increased the price of a drug given to Aids patients from $13.50 to $750 a pill while Mylan
馬丁•史克雷利(Martin Shkreli)去年受到國際憎恨，因為他把艾滋病患者需要的一種藥物的價格從13.5美元一片抬高到750美元一片。EpiPen製造商Mylan公司最近因為大幅提價其拯救生命的過敏注射液而受到抨擊。Novum上週把每支60克的Aloquin藥膏（用於治療濕疹和痤瘡等病症）價格上調128%，至9561美元。
, the maker of EpiPen, recently came under fire for a sharp rise in the price of its life-saving allergy injection. Novum last week raised the price of a 60g tube of Aloquin, which is used to treat conditions such as eczema and acne, by 128 per cent to $9,561.
這種處方藥膏含有兩種廉價的主要成分：雙碘喹啉(iodoquinol)，一種已有幾十年歷史的抗生素，可以防止真菌生長；以及從蘆薈提取的蘆薈多糖(aloe polysaccharides)。含有雙碘喹啉的一種類似的仿製藥膏很容易獲得，價格不到30美元。
The prescription ointment contains two inexpensive main ingredients: iodoquinol, a decades-old antibiotic that prevents fungal growth, and aloe polysaccharides, derived from the aloe vera plant. A similar cream containing iodoquinol is readily available as a generic and costs less than $30.
Aloquin的標籤稱，其“可能有效”，這意味着美國食品和藥物管理局(FDA)得出結論認為，只存在有限的臨牀證據表明它是安全的，能起到預期效果。
Aloquin’s label says it is “possibly effective”, meaning the US Food and Drug Administration has decided there is only limited clinical evidence suggesting it is safe and works as intended.
“從臨牀角度看，被FDA列為‘可能有效’的藥物不應該被醫生當作一種優先考慮的治療選擇，帶着1萬美元價碼的藥物尤其不合適，”Rx Savings Solutions首席執行官邁克爾•雷亞(Michael Rea)表示。
“From a clinical standpoint, a drug listed as ‘possibly effective’ by the FDA, shouldn’t be a likely treatment choice by doctors — especially not with a $10,000 price tag,” said Michael Rea, chief executive of Rx Savings Solutions.
Novum還把另一種皮膚藥膏Alcortin A的價格提高了相同幅度，而第三種藥膏Novacort的價格從每支29克4186美元漲至7142美元。
Novum also increased the price of Alcortin A, another skin cream, by the same amount, while a third ointment, Novacort, went from $4,186 for a 29g tube to $7,142.
美國的高昂藥價已成為總統競選的中心議題之一，民主黨總統候選人希拉里•克林頓(Hillary Clinton)批評了數家公司，包括史克雷利曾經執掌的圖靈製藥(Turing Pharmaceuticals)，以及加拿大製藥商Valeant。
