Australian students recreate extremely expensive drug for $20

The students collaborated with scientists to reproduce an active ingredient in the life-saving medicine. PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

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

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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.”

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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.

This article originally appeared on Huffington Post.