According to the news provider, Novartis has been able to raise the price of the medicine to $48,000 per year, partially due to the fact that it is the first treatment of its kind that comes in pill form, rather than as an injection or infusion.Eric Althoff, a spokesman for Novartis, said that the increased price is a reflection of the costs for research and upgraded treatment that the pill offers to patients with MS.
According to the New York-based MS Society, a number of people who suffer from the condition around the world have a difficult time continuing with treatments involving injections or infusions due to the potential for adverse side effects.
The higher prices and booming sales of Gilenya undoubtedly represent more good news for Novartis' sales representatives, who were recently ruled eligible to obtain overtime pay by the Supreme Court.