A US drugmaker producing skin creams for common conditions has raised the price of two of its treatments to almost $10,000 a tube in the latest instance of “gouging²” in the world’s largest healthcare market, according to figures seen by the Financial Times.

根据英国《金融时报》看到的数字，美国一家生产皮肤病药膏的制药商最近把两款药膏的价格提高至每支近1万美元，尽管该公司的产品只是用来治疗常见症状。这是全球最大医疗保健市场最新的“哄抬价格”例证。

Novum Pharma last week more than doubled the price of the ointments⁴, even after similar increases by other drugmakers prompted an outcry and propelled the topic of high healthcare costs into the US presidential campaign.

Novum Pharma上周把两款药膏的价格上调一倍以上，即便其他制药商的类似涨价已经引发公愤，并使医疗费用高昂成为美国总统竞选的一个话题。

Martin Shkreli became an international pariah⁵ last year after he increased the price of a drug given to Aids patients from $13.50 to $750 a pill while Mylan

马丁•史克雷利(Martin Shkreli)去年受到国际憎恨，因为他把艾滋病患者需要的一种药物的价格从13.5美元一片抬高到750美元一片。EpiPen制造商Mylan公司最近因为大幅提价其拯救生命的过敏注射液而受到抨击。Novum上周把每支60克的Aloquin药膏（用于治疗湿疹和痤疮等病症）价格上调128%，至9561美元。

, the maker¹ of EpiPen, recently came under fire for a sharp rise in the price of its life-saving allergy⁶ injection. Novum last week raised the price of a 60g tube of Aloquin, which is used to treat conditions such as eczema and acne, by 128 per cent to $9,561.

这种处方药膏含有两种廉价的主要成分：双碘喹啉(iodoquinol)，一种已有几十年历史的抗生素，可以防止真菌生长；以及从芦荟提取的芦荟多糖(aloe polysaccharides)。含有双碘喹啉的一种类似的仿制药膏很容易获得，价格不到30美元。

The prescription⁷ ointment³ contains two inexpensive main ingredients: iodoquinol, a decades-old antibiotic⁸ that prevents fungal growth, and aloe polysaccharides, derived⁹ from the aloe vera plant. A similar cream containing iodoquinol is readily available as a generic¹⁰ and costs less than $30.

Aloquin的标签称，其“可能有效”，这意味着美国食品和药物管理局(FDA)得出结论认为，只存在有限的临床证据表明它是安全的，能起到预期效果。

Aloquin’s label says it is “possibly effective”, meaning the US Food and Drug Administration has decided¹¹ there is only limited clinical evidence suggesting it is safe and works as intended.

“从临床角度看，被FDA列为‘可能有效’的药物不应该被医生当作一种优先考虑的治疗选择，带着1万美元价码的药物尤其不合适，”Rx Savings¹² Solutions首席执行官迈克尔•雷亚(Michael Rea)表示。

“From a clinical standpoint, a drug listed as ‘possibly effective’ by the FDA, shouldn’t be a likely treatment choice by doctors — especially not with a $10,000 price tag,” said Michael Rea, chief executive of Rx Savings Solutions.

Novum还把另一种皮肤药膏Alcortin A的价格提高了相同幅度，而第三种药膏Novacort的价格从每支29克4186美元涨至7142美元。

Novum also increased the price of Alcortin A, another skin cream, by the same amount, while a third ointment, Novacort, went from $4,186 for a 29g tube to $7,142.

美国的高昂药价已成为总统竞选的中心议题之一，民主党总统候选人希拉里•克林顿(Hillary Clinton)批评了数家公司，包括史克雷利曾经执掌的图灵制药(Turing Pharmaceuticals)，以及加拿大制药商Valeant。