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Students make anti-malarial drug for cheap
A handful of year 11 students in Sydney synthesise an expensive anti-malarial drug for about $2 a dose.
The man who has been called the "poster boy for greedy drug company executives" and "the most hated man in the world", Martin Shkreli, has responded to reports that a group of Sydney schoolboys made a drug that his company charges at $US750 ($A1011) a tablet.
Soon after the Fairfax Media report broke, people on Twitter started peppering Mr Shkreli with questions about the story.
@nedavanovac lol how is that showing anyone up? almost any drug can be made at small scale for a low price. glad it makes u feel good tho.
— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) December 1, 2016
Mr Shkreli's company gained the rights to Daraprim, an anti-parasitic medication listed by the World Health Organisation as essential, and soon after he raised the price from $US13.50 ($18) to $US750 a dose.
Mr Shkreli said the price rise was to extract money from insurance companies to fund research for better drugs. He says anybody in the US without insurance who needs the drug can get the drug for free.
Under the guidance of Dr Alice Williamson at the University of Sydney, some year 11 Sydney Grammar students made the drug for about $2 a dose.
In explaining his motivation during the Sydney Grammar school project, student James Wood said: "I don't believe his justification for the price hike." James, 17, said he thought this seemed "a bit wishy-washy".
"He was clearly trying to justify something driven by the profit motive," James said.
Other Twitter users suggested to Mr Shkreli the boys' work had 'destroyed' him.
@meatfreq destroyed?
— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) November 30, 2016
He laughed off this tweet from Luke Gamon, an Australian post-doc studying in Copenhagen.
@lgamon lol
— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) November 30, 2016
Mr Shkreli said that making the drug is easy, or rather "ez".
@Scottyt2Hottie yea uh anyone can make any drug it is pretty ez
— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) December 1, 2016
The founder of the Open Source Malaria Consortium at the University of Sydney, Associate Professor Matthew Todd, noticed one of Mr Shkreli's tweets said "learning synthesis isn't innovation".
Associate Professor Todd said: "On one hand you have Mr Shkreli who bought a known thing and raised the price.
"On the other you have school kids who have made this thing in their spare time with their teacher. They had to develop stuff and really work on it.
"You tell me which of those is innovative."
He congratulated the students. "It's very impressive work," he said.
In response to Mr Shkreli's tweet that "anyone can make any drug it is pretty ez", Dr Williamson said: "Not just anyone can make this drug. You need training and facilities and equipment.
She then made the point: "If anyone can do it and it's so cheap, it highlights why it shouldn't be $US750 a dose."
Mr Shkreli did not respond to an invitation to respond to Fairfax Media.