Texas ADAP adds Turing’s Daraprim to formulary

The Texas AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Advisory Committee has added Daraprim to its formulary, making the medicine more accessible and affordable to AIDS patients across the state.

A privately-held biopharmaceutical company Turing Pharmaceuticals said Monday that Daraprim will be sold to the program for $1.00 per 100-count bottle.

Kevin Bernier national director, Alliance Development and Public Affairs at Turing Pharmaceuticals AG on Monday said that Daraprim is now on the four largest state ADAPs.

He added: “We anticipate that this action will spur other state ADAPs to make Daraprim available at this affordable cost.”

Turing noted that, according to current treatment guidelines, Daraprim, in combination with a sulfonamide and leucovorin, is the preferred course of treatment for patients with toxoplasmosis encephalitis – the most common form of toxoplasmosis in the United States.

In terms of patients enrolled, Texas is the third largest ADAP in the country. Daraprim was already on the formularies of three of the four U.S. states with the highest number of enrollees: California, New York, and Florida, Turing noted.

“I am very happy that the Texas ADAP Advisory Committee voted to recommend the addition of Daraprim to our formulary. We will continue to work with Turing Pharmaceuticals to develop mechanisms to provide Daraprim to all of our patients who need this life saving drug,” Philip Keiser MD, Chairman of the Texas ADAP Advisory Committee said.