We were starting to think the old maxim “You’ll get what’s coming to you” had lost all meaning.
Then a few bright kids in Australia reaffirmed our faith in karma.
High school students in Sydney just created 3.7 grams of Pyrimethamine, the active ingredient in the drug Daraprim that treats HIV patients with weak immune systems. The did it using a school lab and the help of Open Source Malaria, a project for finding malaria cures that utilizes open-source software principles. The project cost about $15.
This is great on its own. What really makes it special: this research was a purposeful assault on sentient skidmark Martin Shkreli, the “pharma bro” who, during his time at Turing Pharmaceuticals, raised the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 after acquiring its rights.
“It makes sense that if you’re putting billions of dollars into research for a drug like this, you should be able to reap some profit, but to do something like this … it’s just not just,” said 17-year old Milan Leonard, one of the pioneering students.
Oh, and something to think about, U.S.: in Australia, Daraprim is sold for $1-$2 per pill.
Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images
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