March Of Dimes Ends Relationship With KV Pharma
3 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // April 1st, 2011 // 11:06 am
You read it here first. Despite the decision today by KV Pharma to lower the price of its Makena drug for premature births by 55 percent - to $690 (see this), the March of Dimes has ended a decade-long corporate relationship in which the drugmaker contributed some $1 million to help support various activities, such as a neo-natal family intensive care program.
The move comes after the organization met earlier this week with the embattled drugmaker, which has faced a storm of protest after initially charging $1,500 for Makena, a form of progesterone that, for many years, was offered by compounding pharmacies. KV was granted marketing exclusivity because approval was made under the Orphan Drug Act and the drugmaker threatened to take compounding pharmacies to court. To mollify critics, KV subsidiary Ther-Rx offered a patient assistance program.
The high price prompted two US senators to ask the Federal Trade Commission to investigate and outrage from patient and doctor groups (back story). The FDA unexpectedly responded by saying enforcement actions against compounders would not be pursued, which sent KV stock plunging (read here). Meanwhile, March of Dimes medical director Alan Fleischman earlier this week hinted his organization was prepared to take action, although he declined to offer specifics (read this). And so here is the statement…
“Ther-Rx Corporation’s decision to reduce the list price of Makena to $690 and to expand patient financial assistance are steps in the right direction toward making an FDA-approved progesterone therapy product more widely available. Nevertheless, the March of Dimes has decided to exercise our right to terminate our current contract and sever all professional relationships with Ther-Rx.
“The company’s handling of the launch of Makena, and the initial list price, were highly unsatisfactory and unacceptable to the March of Dimes and the families we represent. The March of Dimes will continue to explore all options for ensuring access to progesterone therapy for all medically eligible women. Access for women to treatment to prevent premature birth is and always has been our paramount concern. We hope that the controversy surrounding Makena has helped raise awareness that progesterone therapy is a safe and effective treatment for prevention of preterm birth and that more obstetricians will consider it for appropriate patients.”
Mary Jacobs
I am always proud of the March of Dimes organization. Thak you
in-house
So the March of Dimes loses $1M in corporate funding, for which they will have to look elsewhere, and this is a good thing?
Lilly
Non-Profit Organizations Receiving Corporate Funding
Index of Non-Profit Organizations Receiving Corporate Funding
MARCH OF DIMES
“The organizational goal of the March of Dimes is to eliminate health problems that threaten American babies — birth defects, infant mortality, low birthweight, and lack of prenatal care.”
Received $1.4 million from the Grain Foods Foundation, an industry-supported trade group, during 2007. In January of 2008 the two groups agreed to put a March of Dimes’ seal touting the benefits of folic acid for pregnant women on white bread sold by Grain Foods Foundation members. (Interview with Michele King, Media Relations Director; 1/28/08)
WalkAmerica 2001, National Corporate Partners:
Kmart, Cigna HealthCare, Florida Department of Citrus, Canon, National Peanut Board. (http://www.modimes.org/ShowYourSupport2/Sponsors/natlsponsors.htm; accessed 6/6/01)
2001 Corporate Donors (partial list)
3Com Corporation
ABN-AMRO Group
ACE Forms
Adams-Gabbert & Associates
Adaptec Foundation
Adobe Systems, Inc.
AES Corporation
AES New Energy, Inc.
Aetna US Healthcare
Air Liquide
Allegheny Technologies
Allstate Giving Campaign
American Express Company
American Sterling Bank
American Refuel Company
AmeriCredit Corporation
Amerimax Building Products
Amgen Foundation Inc.
Amica Insurance
AMSTED Industries
Anderson Greenwood
Arch Chemicals, Inc.
Archer Daniels Midland
Arthur Andersen
AT&T
Automatic Data Processing
Avon Products Foundation
B P Amoco Foundation
Baby Talk Magazine
Balmar Corporation
Bank of America
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi
Bank of Canton
Bank Leumi Le Israel
Bass Shoe Company
Bear Stearns & Co.
BellSouth
Ben & Jerry’s Foundation
Bennett Bigelow
Best Buy Company, Inc.
Best Foods
BetzDearborn
Black & Decker
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
BNC National Bank
Bobcat, Inc.
Borden Foundation
Brinks Home Security
Cabot Corporation
Cadeaux Investments
Canon USA
CBIZ Benefits & Insurance of Centre Insurance Company
Champion International Corporation
Charles Schwab Corporate Fund
Chase Manhattan Bank
Chubb Corporation
CIGNA
Cingular Wireless
CIO Communications
Cisco Foundation
CITGO Petroleum Corporation
Citibank
Citicorp
CNA Surety
Coach
Columbia Gas Transmission
Compaq
Computer Associates International
Conseco Finance Corporation
Consolidated Papers
Cooper Industries
Corn Products International
Dell Computer Corporation
Deloitte & Touche
Delta Air Lines
Deutsche Bank
Duke Energy Foundation
Dynacs Engineering
Dynegy
Eli Lilly and Company
Enron Matching Gift Foundation
Ericsson, Inc.
Ernst & Young LLP, Cincinnati
ExxonMobil Foundation
Fannie Mae Foundation
Faribault Foods, Inc.
Farmers Group, Inc.
Farmers Insurance Companies
Federal Distributors, Inc.
Fedex
Fidelity Bank
First Union National Bank
First Union/Wachovia
Fleet Bank
FleetBoston Financial
Florida Department of Citrus
Freddie Mac Foundation
Frito-Lay, Inc. Fuji Bank Group
Fujitsu Network
Gannett Foundation
Gap Inc.
Gateway Foundation
GE Card Services
GEICO Insurance
Genetech, Inc.
Hallmark Corporate Foundation
Harcourt Brace College Publishing
Hartford Life
Hilton Hotel Corporation
Home Depot USA
IBM
International Paper
ITT Industries Bell & Gossett
J.C. Penney, Inc.
J.P. Morgan Chase
Janus Fund
Jenkins & Gilchrist
John Hancock
John Deere
Johnson & Johnson
Kemper Insurance Companies
Kimberly Clark Foundation
Kmart Corporation
KPMG LLP
Kraft Foods
Law School Admission Council
Lehman Brothers
Levi Strauss Foundation
Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Massachusetts Mutual Life
MasterCard International
Maytag Corporation
McDonald’s
Merrill Lynch & Company
Microsoft
Minerals Technology Mining Co.
Mitsubishi Trust
Mitsui
Mobil Foundation Inc.
Monsanto Fund
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter
Mutual of America
National Peanut Board
Neiman Marcus National
New England Power
Nike
Nissan North America
Oppenheimer Funds
Oracle
Palm Harbor Homes
Pediatrix Medical Group
Pella Rolscreen Foundation
Pepsi-Cola
Pew Charitable Trusts
Pfizer Inc
Pharmacia Foundation
Philip Morris Companies
Prairie Island Nuclear Plant
Pride Offshore, Inc.
Provident Life
Prudential Insurance Company
Publix Super Markets, Inc.
Quaker Oats Company
Quest Diagnostics
Quick & Reilly
Radio Shack
Research International
Reuters
Sallie Mae
Sam’s Club
Sara Lee Foundation
SmithKline Beecham
Sony
Sun Microsystems
Symantec
Tenet Health Care
The Kroger Company
The Gerber Foundation
The Dannon Company, Inc.
The Chase Manhattan Bank
The Marmot Foundation
Thomson Holdings, Inc.
Times Mirror Foundation
Toys “R” Us
Trane Company
Tricon Foundation, Inc.
Unilever
Universal Studios
Veritas Software Corporation
Verizon
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Wal-Mart Foundation
Washington Mutual
Watkins Inc.
Wells Fargo
Zurich Capital Markets
(When a Baby Cries, March of Dimes Annual Report 2001, http://www.marchofdimes.com/aboutus/797_2329.asp; accessed 5/28/03)
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