Australian students recreate extremely expensive drug for $20

Price of drug swelled from $13.50 to $750 last year

Some Australian students have recreated a life-saving medicine after its price was hiked by a pharmaceutical company.

Former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli raised the price of Daraprim, providing the students an opportunity to do some good.

Sydney Grammar students and @Sydney_Uni have synthesised an expensive anti-malarial drug for $2 a dose: https://t.co/2f0abUp33l pic.twitter.com/QFxnyYZiFr

— Sydney Uni Media (@SydneyUni_Media) December 1, 2016

Sydney Grammar School students collaborated with scientists at the University of Sydney to reproduce an active ingredient in the life-saving Daraprim.



The price of the drug swelled from $13.50 to $750 last year. On the other hand, the students were able to reproduce the drug's active ingredient for a mere $20. The students synthesized 3.7 grams of pyrimethamine. According to the BBC, the yield is worth about $110,000 in the United States.

PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Daraprim is an anti-parasitic medication that treats malaria and other conditions relating to compromised immune systems, such as AIDS. It features on the World Health Organisation's list of "essential medicines."



The boys, all aged 17, worked under the Open Source Malaria consortium, which lets scientists anywhere in the world present their data and offer feedback.

But instead of encouraging the students for their remarkable work, Martin Shkreli belittled their accomplishment on Twitter.

These kids who 'made Daraprim' reminds me of Ahmed who 'made the clock'. Dumb journalists want a feel good story.

— Martin Shkreli (e/acc) (@MartinShkreli) December 1, 2016

And never, ever compare your cook game to mine. Highest yield, best purity, most scale. I have the synthesis game on lock.

— Martin Shkreli (e/acc) (@MartinShkreli) December 1, 2016

This article originally appeared on Huffington Post.