First hour: #IStandWithAhmed
Second hour: Outrage over the dramatic price increase of a life-saving pill
I stand with Ahmed: we'll welcome a panel of young, local Muslims to discuss their feelings on the 14-year old from Texas who was arrested after he brought a clock to school. We'll talk about prejudice, their experiences, and the way forward.
Then, outrage over the cost of a pill. You might have seen the story this week: a former hedge fund manager buys the rights to a pill that can save lives, then raises the price 5000% overnight. Daraprim has been around for 62 years, treating malaria and toxoplasmosis; AIDS patients in particular can benefit from the drug. When a company called Turing acquired the drug, the price jumped from $13.50 per pill to $750. Turing's CEO said that this is the cost of doing research, which could lead to better drugs. Critics have called this the worst kind of price gouging. Our panel discusses it:
Dr. William Valenti, Trillium Health vice president and lead physician
Dr. Jonathan Hager, primary care physician
Jane Dodds, Practice Administrator with Women Gynecology & Childbirth Associates, and a member of the Board of the New York State Medical Group Management Association