Organizations that serve the epileptic community say patients in the United Kingdom are experiencing higher prices for their prescription medications. Some of the drug price hikes are attributed to the cost of medications like Epanutin capsules, which is one of the more popular epilepsy medications in the UK. Topamax was not mentioned.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the price of the drug escalated after Flynn Pharma started selling the pills instead of Pfizer. Even while the company claimed that nothing but the drug’s packaging had changed, the cost still rose.
“In my opinion, this is a quite scandalous abuse of a monopoly position,” says Dr. Martin Brunet, a general practitioner based in Surrey. “I don’t know about legally, but ethically and morally that’s what it strikes me as.”
While drug prices are rapidly growing all over the world, some experts believe that this price hike in the UK is being caused by Flynn Pharma changing the pills from a branded drug so that the Department of Health can use it as a generic medication. That move cost the NHS another 44 million pounds annually, which is why the consumer is forced to pay more for the pills.
In the United States, the most popular medication remains Topamax, which is an anti-seizure drug that is often prescribed as a treatment for epilepsy. Topamax is only one prescription used for epilepsy, but the drug is also prescribed for off-label uses like treating migraines and encouraging weight loss. Topamax causes various different side effects, like all medications, including birth defects in babies whose mothers take the drug while pregnant. Some of those birth defects linked to Topamax include PPHN, oral clefts, neural tube defects, spina bifida and heart, lung and brain defects.
If your child was born with birth defects because of exposure to Topamax, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your child’s injuries.