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‘Bad boy’ pharma chief mocks Aussie student achievements
"Bad boy" pharmaceutical chief Martin Shkreli, who raised the cost of an HIV drug by 5,000 percent, has mocked a group of Sydney school students who recreated the life-saving medicine on the cheap.
The teenagers said they were spurred to
In
“
“And why buy my equipment when I can use the
Student James Wood said this week he and his friends, with the help of University of Sydney chemists, had started off with just $20 of the drug, and in one reaction had produced thousands of dollars’ worth.
Turing Pharmaceuticals, which Shkreli used to head, continue to sell the only FDA-approved form of the drug in the US, but reportedly cut the price in half for hospitals after an outcry.
Daraprim, which figures on the World Health Organisation list of essential medicines, is cheap in most countries, with 50 tablets selling in Australia for $10.
In another tweet about the
Several hours after being blasted on Twitter for his comments, Shkreli was more gracious in a short YouTube clip Friday.
“These Australian students are proof that the
“We should congratulate these students for their interest in chemistry and all be excited about what is to come in this stem-focused 21st century.”
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