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Beleaguered drug giant Valeant Pharmaceuticals International ( VRX ) said Monday that it’s expanding the rebate program on two controversially priced drugs, in one of the first significant policy changes under its new chief executive. Valeant said that, effective immediately, all hospitals buying the drugs are eligible for a rebate of at least 10%, and possibly as high as 40%, depending on the volumes bought per quarter. This will be done largely through group purchasing organizations, but hospitals not using those can contact Valeant’s customer service directly, the company said. Nitropress, used to treat heart failure and high blood pressure, and Isuprel, used in the treatment of heart attacks, gained notoriety last year when Valeant hiked their prices by triple-digit percentages after acquiring them. This, along with some other drug-price scandals, led to Valeant’s management being hauled before a Senate committee, which Valeant CEO Joseph Papa thanked in Monday’s press release for “the attention they have brought to this issue.” Papa just joined the company on May 3, as previous CEO J. Michael Pearson was pushed out after watching the company’s stock tumble almost 90% under the weight of the pricing issue, as well as an accounting scandal. Pearson had already signaled that Valeant isn’t going to be pricing drugs as high as it used to and will no longer be looking for older assets like Nitropress and Isuprel, whose chief attraction is that they could be more expensive. Despite the move, Valeant stock was down 2% in late-morning trading on the stock market today , near 25. The stock so far hasn’t fared much better under Papa than it did under Pearson, hitting a six-year low of 23.54 on Thursday. It didn’t help matters that hedge fund Brahman Capital sold its stake in Valeant , according to Bloomberg, as well as in Endo International ( ENDP ), another troubled specialty drugmaker run by a former Valeant executive. Scalper1 News
Scalper1 News