The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. February 22, 2019 Pharmaceutical Firm Defends Charging $375,000 for a Medication Once Given Away for Free --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The pharmaceutical firm Catalyst is defending its decision to charge $375,000 a year for a drug that used to be available for free. The drug, Firdapse, is used as a medication for a rare neuromuscular disease. The price of the drug skyrocketed after Catalyst bought the rights to it from another pharmaceutical company, which offered the drug for free through the FDA. Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders recently criticized the company, accusing it of immorally exploiting patients who need the medication. .