High school students have recreated Martin Shkreli’s infamous price-hiked HIV drug for less than a 12-piece fake mustache set. That’s right, for $2, these amazing braniacs recreated the same drug that the pharma douche is selling for $750. That’s less than an 11-function survival pocket tool.
Chemistry students at the Sydney Grammar School transformed 17 grams of 2,4-chlorophenyl acetonitrile into 3.7 grams of pyrimethamine, the active ingredient in Daraprim.
Shkreli, the founder of Turing Pharmaceuticals, acquired an important anti-parasitic drug, then turned around and jacked up the price 55-times, from $13.50 to $750 a pill. The former hedge-fund manager was lambasted for gouging the price of the vital drug.
The group of students, who were led by chemist Dr. Alice Williamson, were motivated from their disgust of Shkreli’s inhumane actions. They created a batch of the same drug that would cost $110,000.
“I thought if we could show that students could make it in the lab with no real training, we could really show how ridiculous this price hike was and that there was no way it could be justified,” Dr. Williamson told the Guardian.
#ICYMI: These school kids managed to recreate #Daraprim's active ingredient for just $20 pic.twitter.com/3lu4BaysOg
— ABC News (@abcnews) November 30, 2016
Shkreli responded on Twitter, “almost any drug can be made at small scale for a low price. glad it makes u feel good tho.”
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 (e/acc) (@MartinShkreli) December 1, 2016
He also said, “don’t hold your breath waiting for this cheaper alternative to show up in the US.”
Shkreli also hoped that a Twitter user and the kids got hit with a Stone Cold Stunner finishing move.
you and these kids could catch a stone-cold stunner https://t.co/PhRs8h2F5I
— Martin Shkreli (e/acc) (@MartinShkreli) December 1, 2016
Martin Shkreli everybody.
[FoxNews]