The outrage that followed the decision by Turing Pharmaeuticals CEO Martin Shkreli has reached the point that hackers were able to discover his home address and phone number, information that was then released online.
Shkreli sparked such behavior after his September 21 decision to prohibitively raise the price of a drug known as Daraprim to $750 a pill. Prior to the decision, the cost of the vital drug that was able to combat a parasitic infesction known as toxoplasmosis for such diseases as AIDS and malaria was only $13.50 per pill.
The 32-year-old Shkreli further caused outrage when attempting to explain his reasoning for what was generally classified as price gouging, saying that the new price was still comparable to what others were charging. He also indicated that there was nothing wrong with him attempting to make a profit from such an action, despite the possibility that individuals could die if they failed to receive the drug.
Turing Pharmaceutical had purchased the drug only a month ago, with Shkreli treating the purchase just as he would any other investment. That philosophy hearkened back to his prior profession as a hedge fund trader.
As a result of the negative publicity that ensued from the decision, the 32-year-old Shkreli quickly announced that the new price would be $1,050 for 30 pills. That works out to $35 a pilll, which is still a steep markup for the people suffering from this malady. In 2010, the cost for one pill only one dollar.