Catalyst defends drug price after Bernie Sanders' rebuke

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders speaks during a news conference on Yemen resolution on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo

(Reuters) - Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc, targeted by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders for high drug prices, said on Thursday that prices of its treatment for a rare neurological disorder were "in line" with similar products in the industry.

Sanders this month wrote to the Florida-based drugmaker asking it to justify its $375,000-per-year price for Firdapse, a medication that for years has been available for free.

Catalyst also said it spends "millions of dollars per year" evaluating Firdapse in clinical trials testing it in other diseases.

(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar)