What is Acthar Gel, and why did its price rise so much?
H.P. Acthar Gel is a 1952-era corticotropin injection used for infantile spasms and serious conditions. By 2020 its per-vial price had risen from $50 to around $40,000, with no clinical innovation behind the increases.
H.P. Acthar Gel is a repository corticotropin injection first introduced in 1952. It is used for infantile spasms, a rare seizure disorder in babies, and as a drug of last resort for other serious conditions. For years it was the only ACTH drug in the US. The FTC said Questcor took advantage of that monopoly to raise the price repeatedly, and that a course of Acthar for infantile spasms could exceed $100,000.
By 2020, reports put the per-vial price at around $40,000, up from $50 two decades earlier. Mallinckrodt acquired Questcor, and Acthar, in 2014 for $5.8 billion. Because there was no clinical innovation behind the price rises, the drug became a frequent example in congressional debates about price gouging on older medicines.